Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
by CailinNollaig
Summary: The running joke about them being the modern-day Romeo and Juliet is hilarious until the reality of how true that is comes crashing down around them - or more precisely, hits Scorpius in the face with a fist belonging to a Potter.
1. The Flashback Starts

**Chapter One: We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes and the flashback starts.**

She strides down towards the Great Hall happily, a bounce in her step and an upbeat tempo to her humming. Her life right now is good, and she couldn't imagine being happier – at Hogwarts, at least. (Home is different.) Of course, although she'd like to beat the stereotype, the main reason for her joy lies in her boyfriend.

She can still remember the day they met quite clearly in her head – even if she didn't quite know who he is at the time. It had been at the annual victory ball, which despite her parents claims that they hated it, they _always _attended. Every year without fail during her childhood it had been mostly bland and boring for her. That said, an adult may disagree and there were entertaining times.

The ball is held every year in May to celebrate Voldemort's disappearance. For years, all of her cousins – even Victiore – claimed not to know the details of Voldemort. Rose is wiser to them now though and is aware that her older cousins were just 'protecting her'. Once she received her letter to Hogwarts, her parents sat down with Rose and told her everything. (Or at least they said what they told her was everything. She doubts it.)

Her cousin, Dominique, says that there's more to their story than they let on but Rose never pays heed. Dom is an insatiable gossip, and something this juicy on her own doorstep is inevitably speculated upon. Rose enjoys her conversations with Dom as she's a lively, vivacious and outgoing girl who is constantly entertaining. Lucy, their other cousin, lives in her shadow – but seems to like it that way.

The night she met Scorpius, Lucy and Dominique had both been confined to their houses for the night with a babysitter. Rose hadn't been so lucky..

The young sullen girl followed her mother around the room for the first hour of the night, giving a disgruntled greeting to anyone daring to talk to her. She knew she was going to get in trouble for that later, but she couldn't help it. She wished she was anywhere but at the stupid ball – even a Quidditch pitch would do at this point, which most certainly wouldn't be on her list of places to be. Albus would be thrilled though, she thought wryly. As he entered her mind, Rose spotted her cousin across the room with his father.

She supposed Aunt Ginny and her Dad were off with her grandparents somewhere. Rose wasted no time in tugging on her mothers dress, "Can I go play with Albus, Mummy? Please?" She peered up into her mothers eyes pleadingly, debating whether to jut out her lower lip to help things along.

Her Mum made an uncertain sound, and glanced over at Albus, "Oh, I don't know Rose. You two were awfully bold last year."

"That was Hugo and Lily!" She would forever proclaim innocence in that incident. (Even if it wasn't entirely the truth.) Rose watched as her Mum made eye-contact with Harry, with him shrugging. She sighed and turned to Rose, bending down to her level, "You have to behave, Rose. You hear me?"

She nodded obediently, attempting to look every inch the angel. "Yes, Mummy." A kiss was pressed to her forehead, and then her Mum told her not to go far. She and Albus ran to each other, stopping just short of crashing into one another. They did an elabourate greeting of high-fives and such, then laughed. "I can't believe they let us play! Mum said she wasn't letting me out of her sight this year.."

"Yeah, well, I'm trustworthy."

Rose snorted, but didn't reply. Her seven-year old self was far too mature for that. "So whatcha' wanna' do?"

He shrugged, "No idea. I think my Dad is drinking fire-whiskey though!" Albus laughed, his glasses sliding down his nose a little. He fidgeted tirelessly with his suit, complaining of its itchiness. Rose reckoned he was just being moany. Try wearing a puffy, purple, hot dress.

Regardless of his annoying moaning, she laughed at this, "Do you think they'll get drunk?"

"Don't know. Let's play hide and seek!" Albus suggested, green eyes shining with excitement. His mind worked a mile a minute, really. It was difficult for some to keep up with his ever-moving thoughts.

She liked the idea. A lot. There were endless places to hide here! She told him as much, and a quick game of rock-paper-scissors determined Albus as the seeker, which suited her great. She ran off instantly to locate a good hiding place. She found one underneath the buffet table, as she doubted he'd push through the adults getting finger food. Rose, personally, couldn't understand why they'd still be eating – they had had dinner already!

She held her hand over her mouth to keep the giggles at bay – despite the fact that people were laughing, chatting and the band was playing loudly around her. Albus wouldn't hear her if she shouted, but that didn't stop her from trying to be as quiet as possible. It was then that a galleon rolled under the table and she froze. If one of her many relatives owned that, she was in big trouble. Then again, maybe they'd just walk away and she'd get a galleon. That was a very appeasing outcome.

Her hope was dashed as a pale, small hand reached under the table to find the coin. They grasped around for a few minutes, but she didn't dare help them for fear of getting caught. It was at this point that she noticed how dirty her party dress was getting, and how angry her mother would be about it. It was too late now to fix it though.

Rose froze as the hand suddenly inched closer and closer towards her. It landed on her knee, causing her to jerk back rapidly. The hand was quickly pulled out from under the table and a boy poked his head under. He was pale, with bright blue eyes that stood out against his light complexion and blond hair.

"Who are you?" he asked bluntly, and then raised an eyebrow, "And what in heavens name are you doing under a table?"

He appeared to be her age, but he was speaking kind of funny to Rose. However, his age made her feel more comfortable, and so she replied with, "My name's Rose. What's yours?"

"S-" He hesitated, pausing for a minute, "Leo. Are you hiding from someone? Can I help you in any way?"

"Yes, I'm hiding.. My cousin is trying to find me. You're not helping at all," She told him petulantly, "If you keep sitting there he's going to find me!"

"Whoops. Think it's too late for that.." He said in mock-sadness, watching as a boy with ridiculously round glasses and messy hair bounded towards them and pulled Rose out by the wrist.

"Caught ya' Rosie!" He turned to 'Leo' then, "Who are you?"

"Leo." His response was swift this time.

Now out of the darkness, Rose could see him properly. His eyes were pretty. Albus asked the question she was going to, "Do you want to play?"

The fateful question that led them to playing all night. She, Albus and 'Leo' played various games all night, with Roxanne and Molly even joining in for a while, even though they were that little bit older. Rose smiles wryly at the memory, as they had gotten into some trouble, too that night. It hadn't been all hide and seek. Boredom had also spurred them into 'borrowing' their parents wands temporarily. Of course, she and Albus had been punished severely but Scorpius being the pampered prince he is had only been cautioned..

Every year until they reached Hogwarts, the three of them would join forces at the ball and battle the boredom. Usually, they were quite successful. It wasn't until she was boarding the train to Hogwarts that Rose discovered 'Leo' was in fact a Malfoy who went by the name of Scorpius. Her family wasn't a huge fan of him, and she wasn't supposed to be friends with him. And she wasn't.. for a while. That soon wore off though.

Albus never attempted to befriend Scorpius, heeding their family's warnings much too literally. Rose had tried to befriend him, but Scorpius preferred to tease her. They eventually became friends with a little maturity in third year, along with their mutual friends Brooke Bell and Lorcan Scamander. With each year that passed, their little group became closer. Albus never became part of that. He was too prejudiced, despite claiming to be different.

To be clear, he never fought with Scorpius or was outwardly mean to him in any way, he was simply indifferent. He preferred not to hang out with him, too, and so Rose and he had very limited time together.

Albus, to the surprise of everyone, was sorted into Slytherin though. He had asked the hat to, he said he wanted to change the house. He also wanted to step out of his fathers and brothers shadows, because, well, they were big shadows. He managed it, Harry Potter's son in Slytherin wasn't something that was brushed under the carpet. No, it was broadcast all over newspapers before Rose's Mum told them to grow up and that it was only a house.

Rose loves her Mum.

Rose herself had been sorted into Ravenclaw, something that most of her family had been expecting. Scorpius is also in Ravenclaw, another headline-grabber. It isn't a shock really, because he isn't his father and he is very intelligent. People couldn't seem to grasp that concept after the sorting – they liked the idea of a death eaters horrible son much better.

Rose's best friend, Brooke Bell, said it was funny how people thought houses made a person when there's hundreds of people in one house. Brooke is a fun, chatty girl who had struck up a friendship with Rose in first year. The two are the closest of friends and are never separated. (Except when forced.)

"Hey Red, what's up?" Lorcan greets as Rose takes a seat across from him for breakfast. He has dark brown hair, a creamy complexion and eyes that look like they were taken directly out of his mothers head. He's not what you expect from Luna Scamanders son – he's down-to-earth, funny, popular and sporty. It's clear he takes after his father, but his brother Lysander is like his mother. That boy constantly has his mind somewhere else.

She pulls her long hair into a bobbin, and glances around, "Morning. Where's Brooke?"

"Who knows. Last I knew, she wanted to meet with Mark Lions this morning. Something about making James jealous..?"

"Oh god, they don't need anymore jealousy and drama. She's unbelievable." James – yes, her idiot cousin – and her best friend, Brooke, have been doing the same dance for two years now. Flirting, kissing, jumping in, then jumping back. They've yet to get their act together and she's getting sick of it.

Instead of growing up, they yearn for each other and play games. It's pathetic.

"Yeah, he's whipped," Lorcan sighs mournfully, lamenting at the status of the Quidditch captain.

"Ready for Divination?" Brooke chirps as she finally joins the table, her eyes bright and smile wide.

Rose rolls her eyes, "Have fun with Mark? And that's a doss subject, I constantly tell you, B.."

Lorcan interjects here, "Do we really have to talk about her love life again? She's in love with James, he's in love with her... It's a tragic tale of woe."

Brooke flicks a cornflake at him, "Shut up. You're just jealous Scamander..."

"Quidditch captains aren't really my thing," He shrugs a shoulder, flashing them a smirk then. The two girls laugh, and Rose can't help but let her eyes wander to the boy sitting a few seats up. He sits with some lads from his Quidditch team at breakfast sometimes – Lorcan does sometimes, too, but far less than Scorpius – because in the past it proved difficult for Scorpius and Rose to sit together and not act like a couple. It should have been easy, but it just isn't.

His wide, defined shoulders follow into a lean form that add to his tall physique. His blond hair is just long enough to fall over his forehead, allowing her to still see his beautiful blues that have captivated her since she was a girl. She bites her lip – her boyfriend is one handsome boy.

Brooke nudges her subtly, and Rose turns her attention to them again. It's a shame her cousins don't know she has a boyfriend. It's a shame her parents don't know she's best friends with him – they're under the impression she tolerates him for Brooke and Lorcan's sake. Really, it's a shame no one but Lorcan and Brooke knows she's in a relationship with Scorpius Malfoy and has been for several months now.

It's such a shame that she can't tell her family about the boy she's in love with.

* * *

She's walking to class alone – Lorcan and Brooke, being the wasters they secretly are, chose divination – pondering the arithmancy homework, when suddenly a hand jerks out to grab her wrist and she's being pulled into an empty classroom.

Rose opens her mouth to scream, but this action is cancelled with a whiff of the scent she has become so familiar with. Instead of screams, her mouth curves into a smile and she settles into the embrace of the taller boy. She glances up at him, "Any reason for this impromptu meeting?"

He pouts, like the spoiled child he sometimes is, "I hate not sitting next to you at breakfast."

"Ditto." She laughs, and tugs on his hands, "But I, unfortunately, am going to be late for a _really _import-" He silences her with a quick kiss to the lips, holding her close. She pushes him back and giggles, "Scor, this is not going to deter me. I -" He tries again, this time running his tongue along her lips until she grants him entrance. She sighs into the kiss, and then pulls herself from his hold, "No. I have class."

He's staring at her with the dark look in his eyes that she's rather accostomed to at this stage in their relationship, and she averts her eyes so to remain resolute. Rose then resorts to what she always does when pressured, nervous or avoiding; she rambles, "I mean, it's such an easy class to fall back in and if I don't keep on top of things, then I'll -"

"I'll get the notes from a Gryffindor..." He interjects.

There's a silence in which she debates this seriously. She exhales sharply, "Well, who am I to argue with that?" A large grin breaks out across her boyfriends face, and he locks the door quickly.

"For once Red, I don't think you are in a position to argue," He pulls her into his arms once more, and she instantly feels safe and _loved_. More than anything, she feels loved and cherished when she's in Scorpius' arms and it's the most liberating feeling in some ways. It shouldn't be, she knows that, but it somehow makes her feel liberated. As if she can do anything, and she's free to do everything.

He swings her around playfully, "I _really _like you Red," he declares passionately, and somewhat jokingly.

Rose nods, "Yeah, yeah, I'm great." He swings her back in, their faces nearly touching, "But for the record, I kind of like you, too."

Yes, she's definitely not attending Arithmancy today.

* * *

Rose had been determined not to miss another class, hence she bid farewell to her rebellious boyfriend when the bell rang. She doesn't usually skip classes, and he usually doesn't even try, but something about today made her want to. She is at the top of her classes anyway, it's not like she can't afford to skip a class every once and a while.

She's credible, too, so teachers rarely question her absence. After all, it is a rare occurrence that she is absent.

Rose takes her seat next to Brooke in DADA without much noise, and simply listens to her best friends argue once again about who their teacher hates more. Honestly, Professor Zabini doesn't like anyone all that much – but by god, Rose can't help but find the man attractive. His face looks as if chiselled by angels and his eyes radiate a quiet passion that strikes the soul with a dramatic flair.

Okay, so she – and Brooke – has a slight crush. It's normal.

"Brooke, sometimes, I actually think he wants you more than you want him," Lorcan tells her, the tone of his voice making it clear to Rose that he doesn't think this at all.

However, Brooke pauses in her argument and smiles, "You think? I've been smiling a lot at him lately to see if he'd reciprocate.. I hadn't thought he'd noticed. But, now that you say it, he has been saying good work on my assignments lately?"

"Wow." He responds sarcastically, "I'm surprised you're not ripping each others clothes off during class."

"Oh, don't put ideas in her head," Rose laughs, nudging her Brooke, who is in another world now. Lorcan smiles slightly at this, and shakes his head at the blonde sitting in between them. She's unique; Rose will give her that. Brooke isn't the typical Ravenclaw; a little ditzy, social as they come, flirtatious and has a dire problem with procrastination. In fact, she's pretty much the opposite of the stereotypical Ravenclaw. That's not to say she's not clever – she's very intelligent, but it's mostly academic. The girl has no common sense, Rose would swear. However, she has an ability to capture an audience and stop a whole room. Rose envies that sometimes.

"Rose!" She turns to the voice, and see's Albus sit down in front of her. Rose is about to greet him happily, inquire about his day, when she catches his expression and frowns. He doesn't look happy, but rather suspicious and she instantly knows that whatever he says next will not bode well for her. "What's the deal with all the time you're spending with Malfoy? I mean, what were you doing in an empty classroom with him?"

She stutters a little, stumbling over words as her tongue refuses to co-operate with whatever her brain is trying to communicate. Rose is a notoriously bad liar, and everyone knows it – most of all, Albus Potter. He tilts his head, mocking her, and she tries to buy time, "Umm, when?"

"How many times have you been in a classroom with him today? An empty one, at that."

"Not that it's any of your business, Al," Brooke speaks up haughtily, "But I asked him to get my divination book from Rose. She's been having bad dreams and decided to give it a go.. I know, I thought I'd never see the day! Also, they are friends, you know.."

He ignores the latter comment. "Why do you need a whole classroom to do that?" He questions, unwilling to let the subject drop. Really, it's none of his business, and had it been anyone else Rose would tell him that. She'd probably be a little more crass than that though and tell him where to shove it, but he's her cousin and oldest friend... Therefore she's lost for words. It's not often that happens.

She has to admit, Rose has never been more glad to see the beautiful face of Professor Zabini than in that moment.

* * *

"No idea who is sending them, I just know she's in love with me, dudes. Seriously, it's all she talks about. I'd really like to know who the chick is," He says sadly, twirling the latest letter between his fingers, "'Cause I might give a date a go. Unless she's ugly, obviously.." He adds as an afterthought, a small grin gracing his soft features. He's a contrast to Scorpius in that regard, who posesses quite sharp and strong features.

Lorcan is a very laid-back guy, never getting involved in fights and would rather cheer someone on than throw a punch. He plays Quidditch, and enjoys the attention, but rarely basks in it. Brooke calls him the epitome of 'cool' and the total opposite of his brother Lysander – who is shy, reserved and slightly eccentric. Lorcan makes everything look simple and takes everything in his stride.

His downfall is his laziness and lack of motivation with study – he always makes the above average cut, but could be so much more if he put the work in. It frequently frustrates Rose and she knows it'll annoy her big time in seventh year, when study and work counts most.

She realises what he just said, and exclaims hotly, "Poor girl! You're such a typical boy. She's gone through all that trouble with the letters, to have you turn her down because she's not the next Daphne Greengrass or prettiest girl in school."

He wiggles his eyebrows, "Do you have a confession for me, Rosie?"

Rose rolls her eyes, "I'm _perfectly _content with my boyfriend, thank you very much."

Lorcan shrugs, and throws a glance to Brooke, "What about you, B? Silently pining for my attention?"

"Come on, Scamander, I get ninety percent of your attention anyway," She winks. The three of them are sitting comfortably in the Room of Requirement, waiting patiently for their fourth friend to join them.

Brooke turns to Rose suddenly, "What was Albus on about in Defence today? Surely you didn't mitch off a class Rose Weasley..." She says, gasping mockingly.

"_No,"_ Lorcan imitates, also gasping.

"Shut up. Everyone is allowed to take days off."

"...But you don't _do _that. You're a strange alien from outer space." She waves this off, "But never mind that, the fact stands: you owe me _big _time."

Rose sighs, "I know. Woe is me.."

"Hate that. A debt to Brooke is never a good thing," Lorcan laments with her, patting her comfortingly on the back. Rose takes a glimpse at her watch and frowns at the time.

"Where on earth is Scorpius? If he doesn't arrive soon, I'm leaving. I've plenty of homework and -"

"You've done all your homework for tomorrow." Brooke states, raising her eyebrow.

"Yes, but there's a charms test tomorrow. I don't know if I can chance it, there's so much I haven't covered and-"

"and neither has the rest of the class," Lorcan laughs.

"You're so strange, Rose. Wanting to study when you could be with your friends... I mean, there you go being an alien again."

"Au contraire, I'm a Ravenclaw. What kind of Ravenclaw are you?"

Brooke looks slightly affronted, "Oh, don't be so stereotypical. Ravenclaws can be fun, too!"

"Brooke Bell: fighting to make Ravenclaws seem fun since first year."

"What a worthy cause," Rose replies dryly to Lorcan. "And I am fun!" There other two turn quiet, and then look at each other and laugh as a disgruntled Rose watches on. She's not half as amused as the other two, and is about to tell them just as much when Scorpius stalks into the room. Wearing a brooding expression, he's thunderous and the look in his eyes portrays someone ready to hit the nearest object (or person). He slams the door shit behind him and collapses dramatically into one of the chairs, huffing loudly and folding his arms.

The other three exchange looks, and then Scorpius glances at them, "What did I miss?" His tone is not one of warmth or genuine interest.

Brooke, never one to entertain his strops, claps loudly, "Your show. It was _fabulous, _babe."

That's all it takes to set him off. He jumps out of his seat and throws his arms in the air, "Albus Potter threatened me. Can you believe that? I'd laugh at the ridiculousness of it if I wasn't so pissed. I mean, first off, he's half my size. Sure, James might be a bit scarier, but Albus? Threaten _me?_ Where does he get off anyway, I mean, I'm-"

"Al threatened you?" Rose cuts him off, ice lacing her voice. She's not pleased and Scorpius pauses briefly, wondering if it was a good idea to tell her. She's not about to back down now though.

Lorcan chuckles, "I think we should all see the humour in this situation."

"It is pretty funny," Brooke adds, attempting to be helpful as she cracks a smile. Rose and Scorpius don't share the other two's amusement and only level their gazes. Seeing this, Brooke shakes her head at the Malfoy, "You're an idiot for telling Weasley over here, she's only going to blow a casket."

"I'm right here!"

"I mean, really, is it that surprising?" Brooke asks, bored already with it.

Rose decides it's time to bring everyone back to reality with one of her famous rants. "I'm sorry, he did _what?_Who does he think he is? It's none of his business! First off, does he think I can't defend myself against you if you were threatening me in some way? Come on, I'm so much better at wand work! If Albus Potter thinks I'm a defenceless little girl, he has another thing coming. That idiot.."

"That's my Rose." Scorpius announces, proudly looking at his girlfriend. "But better at wand work?"

Rose points her wand at him, "Don't start."

Lorcan shakes his head at Scorpius, "She's crazy. Don't know how you put up with her."

"I can hear you, Lorc." She says irritably. "I'm going to find Albus and castrate him. I'll see you at dinner later." She storms out, not unlike Scorpius stormed in, and both Rose and Lorcan are reminded of the similarities between the two.

"No goodbye kiss?" Scorpius calls out, mostly in jest, just as the door slams shut. "Guess not. Didn't even get to talk to her," He tells his friends, even though they're well aware.

"You should really just tell everyone, be open and all that jazz. What's the worst that can happen? You could be banned from seeing each other – but if that's the case, you can just see each other secretly like you always have. Not the end of the world. Then, there's the other side, which is both families eventually accepting the 'liasion' and life is happily ever after on that note. I don't quite see what's stopping you two, but there's certainly no doubt that neither of you belong in Gryff-"

"You're rambling again." Lorcan points out.

"Oh, thanks." While Rose has a tendency to rant when under certain duress or angry, Brooke more than often rambles and talks on and on and on. It's a running joke between everyone, yes, but too many times they've had to cut her off mid-speech as she runs in tangents.

Scorpius turns to them, "Anything exciting today?"

"_I _have an admirer." He hands the boy the letter, who reads it and promptly bursts out laughing. Not simply chuckling, but full out laughing, while trying to spit out words of jest.

"She- you - love - flowers – _hah!"_

Lorcan grabs the letter back and grumbles, "Yeah, well, it was nice."

"It was _hilarious." _Scorpius corrects. "I hope you get another one tomorrow. Hey, it's probably one of those first years that follow you around.. The groupies from the Quidditch games!"

"I forgot about them! Yeah, face it buddy, it's probably one of them," Brooke says to him sympathetically, but not overly concerned at all in reality.

"Thanks for the support _mate_, but she seems more mature than that..."

Brooke and Scorpius glance at each other sceptically, "_Right."_

Scorpius smirks, "Nothing quite speaks maturity like a love letter. So true."

* * *

Hey! So this is my revision of "We Were Both Young" as there were some awful yolks in that story that I won't get into. This will remain largely unchanged, with more subtle, grammatical errors. Actually, there are a good bit of changes, but the story pans out the same way. The early chapters got the greatest revamp. Anyway, please let me know what you think!  
I promised I wouldn't upload this until I finished it, and I didn't. So, yes, I have this fic finished, sitting on my computer, waiting to be uploaded. The excitement! Disclaimer: Don't own HP or "Love Story" by Ms. Swift.  
Thanks for reading,  
CN.


	2. We'd be Dead if They Knew

**Chapter Two: We keep quiet, cause we're dead if they knew.**

Rose is fuming as she tears down the halls in pursuit of her cousin. She can never quite think straight when angry though, and so she has no idea or plan of what she's going to say or do if she happens to locate the Slytherin. She contemplates going to the dungeons, but doubts she'll find him there – he tends to hang out in other places.

She can't believe he'd threaten Scorpius – _for talking to her!_ It's beyond comprehension, really. Albus is not a threatening or foreboding character, and is in actuality usually very genial so she doesn't understand this outburst of dominance and primal actions. To think he had the gall to talk to someone about her behind her back, god knows who else he's 'talked to' for her! In any case, she's going to put some sense back into that snake-y skull of his.

He once was a shy, reserved kind of boy, but Slytherin had changed him in the form of inflating his head. That said, he and Rose are still quite close but a clash of personalities can cause friction between them at times. Their main clash being Rose's quick, hot temper and Albus' cool, biting one. She isn't quite sure _who _he got that from.

Someone plants themselves in her path quite abruptly, before latching onto her arm and pulling her to the side of the corridor. Rose groans loudly and turns to face her cousin, "Yes, Lil? Can't this wait?"

"No, I really have to talk about this," The black-haired girl nods fervently as she says this, appearing as if she is about to burst. Rose has always been Lily's go-to for anything, and so she can't fault her cousin for coming to her. Lily Potter is a year younger than Rose, but looks up to her with stars in her eyes. It's commonly known that Rose is Lily's idol, despite there being just a year and a half between them. The two girls are close seeing as they see each other often, and are the only girls between the Potters and Weasley-Grangers.

She's a small, unassuming character with a soft heart and a trusting nature. Rose doesn't know what she'd do without the girl, and with that in mind, resigns herself to helping Lily for the next few minutes. "Okay, you have me, what's up?"

She glances around, "Not here.. people could hear."

"There's no one here, Lily."

"Just come on," Lily tells her, exasperated. She beckons Rose to follow her into a classroom, and she briefly wonders how many times today she's going to be dragged into a classroom by someone. Somehow, this situation is a lot different. (Thank god.) Rose closes the door gently behind her, and turns to her cousin expectantly.

"Go on." She decides to leave Albus out of her mind for the moment. He's not worth stressing over when Lily needs her help. Rose doesn't tend to let go of things easily, but makes the exception this once. Besides, she'll probably still mention it next time she see's him.

"I want to know her," Lily gushes, "I want to know the _real _Lily Evans, and not the saints tale that everyone tells. I want to know my Grandmother; my namesake. I just know there _has _to be more than Saint Lily Potter. I mean, my Grandad certainly was a character – I just can't believe that she wasn't.." She finishes sadly, her eyes shining with desperation as she stares up at her cousin.

"Well, what are you going to do? The library?"

She waves her off, "Been there, done that. I—I... I was kind of hoping that's where you would come in."

"Er, what?" Rose is beginning to wonder if this day exists at all. Merlin knows she hasn't the faintest idea about what Lily Potter is about.

"Come on, you're the brains in this operation! Please, Rose? I need this." She pleads with her, looking more desperate by the moment, and Rose tells her absently to stop. She ponders the request, wondering if it's really the best thing to do here. If there is something they haven't been told, it's probably with good reason – then again, it is Lily's grandmother, and she does deserve to know. But on the other side, Rose doesn't know all that much about _her _grandmothers pasts and teenage life. Maybe she should.

"Please." Lily mumbles one more time, and Rose sighs. Lily has always been there when Rose needed her (not that it's been often) and she's never asked any questions when Rose arrives at her house asking to stay over. She gives opinion without judgement, which is more than Rose can say half the time.

It's time to help Lily out with more than boys and homework. She studies her cousin, mind racing, and then something strikes Rose. "Doesn't your Dad have an Aunt?"

* * *

She eats her dinner in a daze, not even paying attention to the conversations going on around her. Rose is distantly aware of a debate over who they prefer classes with more: Gryffindor, Slytherin or Hufflepuff? But doesn't contribute. She's still reeling from the day she had, and more importantly, what she's just agreed to. It's even taking precedence in her thoughts over the whole Albus situation, which in reality, Brooke is right about – it's not all that surprises. Even if it does still anger her.

In any case, her mind isn't wandering there today. Rather, she keeps replaying the conversation between herself and her cousin. What had Rose been thinking? She shouldn't have given Lily the idea of visiting her great aunt – especially behind their families backs.. and especially not during Christmas. Furthermore, she _especially _shouldn't have agreed to go with her.

Rose, for reasons unfathomable to her, made a plan to visit Harry's aunt. A woman she has never met or spoken to – or even heard much of. She's not related to her. The only reason Rose knows of her existence is because of Hagrids slip-up during one of their tea-visits. In Lily's first year, the two of them inquired about Harry's mother and somewhere in Hagrid's rambling reply, the aunt appeared. Harry certainly never talks about her, which Rose has to admit, intrigues her.

She could ask her parents, but she has a sneaking suspicion they won't be volunteering a lot of information. No, this is a case for investigatory work.

Hugo squeezes in next to Rose then, startling her. "Hugo, you could have gave me warning!"

"You were just too in your own world."

"Yeah, I know," She concedes. Rose knows he's about to ask if she's okay – and, again, she's an awful liar, so Rose speeds on, "What's up?"

Accepting the swift change, he runs a hand through his brown, shaggy hair, "The 'rents want to know if you're coming home for Christmas. You know, since you didn't last year." He adds mockingly, sending her a look.

Rose rolls her eyes, "It was one time. They were fighting – Brooke's place was much funner."

"More fun." He corrects, which annoys her. He smiles because he knows that, causing Rose to laugh. She's quite close to her brother, there being such a small age gap. Despite being from different genders, which would normally cause a divide at their age, she feels closer than ever to him and they relate on a lot of levels. Hugo drops the smile then, "Anyway, it still wasn't nice of you to ditch us and run to Brooke's."

Rose sighs in resignation, "Yeah, I know. I'll be there the whole time this Christmas, I promise. It-it's just a bit much sometimes, you know?"

He nods – of course he knows, "Earphones and music, my dear sister. Earphones and music."

She smiles, "Thanks, Hugh. How's Sabrina and Carmen these days?"

"They're good, thanks. Sabrina got captain of the Gryffindor chess club." Rose grins, remembering her own short-lived time in that exact position. She was once captain of the Ravenclaw chess, a coveted spot in their house, but she was expelled for throwing a board – with all the pieces on it- at her cousin Molly, who had only been there to irritate her. She isn't even in Ravenclaw.

"I remember those days." She says dramatically, and Hugo only rolls his eyes. He knows the story. "And Carmen?"

Hugo lets out a laugh, "You know her – determined to make the Quidditch team."

"I'm sure she'll make it this year! Three times a charm."

He coughs, "Five times, more like. They've given her second chances before.."

"Five, three, who's counting? Not you anyway…"

Shrugging; "Ah yeah, but it has to be done. I need something over her when she's lording your genius over me."

She can sense the sarcasm. "Hah. Hah. So funny."

"Yep. Right, well, I've homework to finish – and a letter to Mum. I'll catch ya' later."

"Bye!"

* * *

Sitting under the glorified old oak tree, studying diligently for her charms test, there's a feeling of contentment that comes over her. All her worries seem insignificant in comparison to what she has in her life, and she needs to remember that more. Despite it being December, it's a bright afternoon with just several wisps of clouds in the sky. Otherwise, blue stretches all around above her. There's still that distinct bite of coldness though, and a light breeze that provides a stimulant which keeps her focused. Perhaps it's odd, but this chill makes her focused on her work. It helps her study.

Scorpius is sitting beside her, fed up with study. His books are safely in his bag, leaving him to do nothing but gaze out onto the lake in front of them. They often do this – they can be alone here, for it's generally sparsely populated outside of lunchtime and the summer. In December, during class time (they have a study break), it's practically deserted, save for a few couples. They can be themselves.

"I hate lakes."

Not paying much attention, Rose continues reading the chapter and murmurs, "Really?"

"Yeah.. Do you not think they're a bit scary?"

This catches her attention, causing her to glance up this time. She smirks, "Is Scorpius Malfoy afraid of the lake?"

"Scorpius Malfoy is able to accept his fears." He replies pompously, sticking his chest out and raising his chin.

She rolls her eyes, "That's an excuse. Only someone who is so afraid would use such a _lame _excuse. And only a complete tool would speak in third person, you know." Playing with Scorpius' ego is a favourite pastime of hers, given that he knows it's all in jest. He gives it back just as good. She enjoys their banter; how they're comfortable enough with each other to mock. She's so engrossed in this banter with her boyfriend, waiting for his reply, that she fails to notice someone watching and approaching.

"Just because you're too proud to admit your fears, Rosie."

She snorts, "Too proud? That's a bit rich coming from you, don't you think?"

It takes a second for Scorpius to pull the book off of her lap and pin her underneath him, her arms held high above her. She's laughing the entire time, not taking him serious in the slightest. He looms over her with a wicked smile, "Are you scared now?"

"Not in the _least._"

His smile turns into a more genuine one, and he leans down, "Good." Their lips are seconds away from each other, and Rose is dying for him to lay his lips upon hers, when he's wrenched away coolly. Rose feels the air gush against her again with force, the cold hitting her system with the loss of his body heat.

Rose lies there blankly as her mind catches up, but with the next words, she jumps up. "What do you think you're doing, Malfoy? Get away from her!" He spits, venom on the tip of his tongue.

She blinks, in complete disbelief as to what is happening here. Her mouth opens to interrupt, but her boyfriend beats her to it as he stands, "Beat it, Potter. It's none of your business."

"The hell it's none of my business. Run, Rose – I'll take care of Malfoy." He waves her off, turning back to face Scorpius with a feral glint in his eye. Rose's temper climbs to new heights, like a volcano waiting to erupt.

"I can take care of myself, James. Just go." She counters heatedly, crossing her arms. Rose isn't playing games, so James can ride back into the sunset with his white horse.

Her words are lost on her cousin, because James' attention is focused on one person only – and that's Scorpius. "You hear this, Malfoy, 'cause I'm only saying it once –"

"I don't particularly care what you have to say."

She wishes she could have foreseen what happens next – she should have, Rose reasons with herself. She knows what James is like when he gets fired up, and this is exactly something he would do. He's act-now-think-later-James-Potter. It's never something she's normally involved in – except when it concerns Brooke. Which, come to think of it, it often does – so it's not surprising that Rose lets out a loud gasp when James' fist connects with her boyfriends face. Following it, he wears a proud expression, "Didn't think so."

The senselessness of the statement annoys her, but more than anything, his rash behaviour makes her furious. Rose reaches her arm out to see if Scorpius is okay, but he only shakes his head at her. "What are you playing at, James? Just, go. Hitting doesn't solve anything!" She chides, even if she's aware the words will fall upon deaf ears. She's itching to check if Scorpius is okay, but worries that it will only accelerate the situation. Why is her cousin being so difficult anyway? He knows the two of them are friends.

Scorpius wipes the blood away from his nose with a grimace, his eyes raising to look at James properly. There's a blaze of anger smouldering in those grey depths, and his tone of voice matches, "Big mistake, Potter."

Rose can only watch on helplessly as her boyfriend and cousin beat each other with a brutality only seen in movies.

She tries to intervene, calling out their names multiple times and trying to pull Scorpius back. He'll be the more receptive to her calls and more careful not to hit her accidentally, she figures. Unable to think of anything else, she sends a Patronus out to find Lorcan. As she waits patiently for the selected boy to return, she fruitlessly attempts to separate them. In all that is going on around, and the frantic mess her thoughts are, it's not till much later she realises she could have hexed them. (It's Brooke and Lorcan who point it out, actually.)

Rose can see the blood spilling out of Scorpius' lip, she can hear the crack from the sound of the blond's fist making contact with James' nose and by god, she's sure Scorpius' body will be black with bruises when this is over. The same with James, however.

To her relief, Lorcan comes immediately, pushing James back with such a force that he stumbles to the ground. They're the same build, Lorcan and James, but she's still a little startled with the strength the former obviously possesses. With James on the ground, Rose grabs Scorpius' arm and gives him a pleading look. He growls under his breath and stalks off, Lorcan following him and trying to reason with the livid teen.

She tries to run after them, but James pulls her back. She contemplates hitting him, but figures that in the end, this would only raise suspicion. She doesn't think there needs to be any more fuel to the fire. Rose's desire to hit him his so strong though that she feels an actual burning in her fists, and a rage coursing in her veins that she's not familiar with – even with the fact that she frequently loses her temper. Her head hurts from all this negative emotion, her heart is erratic and giving her a hard time in cooling down.

She turns to look at her cousin, who is shouting loudly that Scorpius has to "stay away from Rose!". Does he think he's in some kind of drama show?

Rose begins to reprimand him for being so careless and primitive, and he argues back with as much vehemence. He spouts all sorts of ridiculous things, such as protecting her honour, and saving her from something awful. She angrily tells him she's not talking to him anymore, and turns to leave. James catches her arm, pulling her back to him.

"Rose!" He lets go when she glowers at him, "Will you just stop for a second? What is _wrong _with you? You used to be okay with this. Since when do you side with the Malfoy's? You once would have been dandy with me and him fighting, even encouraging it. Now you're shouting at me because of it?" He seems incredulous. "Albus tells me you make a habit of spending time skipping class to be alone with him, what the _hell _is that about?"

"God, where to start with such _utter tripe!_ I never condoned degrading the Malfoy's or hitting Scorpius, you obviously have your cousins confused. You know how I feel about all this prejudice surrounding us, so why would he be any different… Don't you dare make it out like I'm the one who has changed." She declares passionately, then adds in the coldest tone she can muster, "And it's good to know you and Albus have been discussing me behind my back, not to mention exaggerating the details with great gusto." The cold tone is hard for her to muster, because she's not cool, she has a raw, hot temper that is always ready to be unleashed. She's so angry that she can't even begin to voice it though, and so she adopts this cool exterior.

James lets her go rather roughly, "Whatever, Rose. I'm pretty sure you weren't spending alone time with him at the lake. Do whatever, but let me clear about something, yeah? I don't like the Malfoys, I never will. And definitely not Scorpius, because as far as I can see, he's exactly the same as his father – and his grandfather." It happens before she can stop herself. It's an instinctual and natural reaction to the fury that smoulders it's way through her body until she raises her hand.

She smacks him soundly across the face, "You know _nothing, _James. Stay away from me. I'm so pissed at you it's not even funny." She races off heatedly in the direction of her friends. She pushes worrisome thoughts, such as James connecting the dots, in favour of pursuing Scorpius Malfoy.

* * *

"Ah," He hisses, "That stings!" Scorpius sits on the edge of the couch in the Room of Requirement, patiently waiting for Brooke to finish tending his wounds. He's patient, but he's not quiet and exclaims several times about how bad she is at it. She hits him in response, which he finds is rather unnecessary given what he's just been through.

He hadn't meant to fight James, it just happened. He couldn't let Potter wound his pride with a swift blow, then not react. Why would it be okay for James to do that? So, naturally, he struck back without thinking. It's not something he usually does – acting without thinking. The only thing that bothers him from all this is Rose. He anticipates their meeting with slight trepidation. It doesn't help that she'll be here any minute, once she finishes with James.

Scorpius winces again. "Don't be a baby," Brooke replies, lacking sympathy completely.

"Leave him, B. I think he's going to get plenty of slack from Red." Lorcan is lounging on a couch across from them, flicking through the Quidditch magazine. He's rather exasperated with the whole situation, believing that the remedy is simple; stop hiding their relationship.

"Fine." Brooke snaps, then smirks, "I'll go easy on you, Malfoy. But tell me, did you get him good?"

"Brooke!"

"Oh, what, Lorc? He's about to tell me how bad James is."

"What does it matter? You'll be reconciling with him _again _any day now." He replies irritably.

She laughs lightly, her brown hair swishing around her as she turns to look at him, "Am I that predictable?" Her eyes find their way to Scorpius again. "so?"

He lets out a laborious sigh, "He's about the same."

"Scorpius, I expected so much more from you," She tells him sadly. Brooke presses the cloth to his eye again, watching as his face scrunches with the contact.

"Yeah, well, putting him in the infirmary means trouble for me. We don't want that! Didn't want to kill the poor guy."

"James Potter is anything but poor." Lorcan snorts, then gives him a grin, "Besides, I reckon you'll be in enough trouble as it is."

"True 'dat!" The two boys roll their eyes at Brooke's response. Well, Scorpius attempts to, but can't quite manage it with the cloth on one eye. He manages superbly with the functioning eye, however.

Rose chooses that moment to enter the room, her eyes wild and her hair matching. Panting heavily, she slams the door shut and steps into the light of the room. Taking several moments to compose herself, Rose leans against a pillar. Her ponytail is no longer intact, there's a streak of mascara on one side of her face – though she hasn't cried, it's from the running – and her Ravenclaw robe is falling off of her right shoulder. She hastily pulls it up, and stares at Scorpius.

A heavy silence follows, because Scorpius hasn't a clue of what to say. It's clear that he expects her to speak first, and she resigns herself to this without much fuss. Her eyes sweep over him, "Are—are you alright?"

"God yeah, I'm brilliant."

Brown eyes flash at the sarcastic reply – is this how he wants to play it? "Don't you dare, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!"

Lorcan makes a sizzling sound and laughs, "Ouch, she middle-named you, Scor!"

Brooke takes the opportunity to hit Lorcan on the head, "Shut up, you dork." He grumbles and rubs his head, eyeing her as she takes the seat beside him. On the couch furthest away for protection.

Rose and Scorpius are oblivious now to their friends presence though. They're focused on exchanging ferocious glares, working up their words and forgetting who their anger should be directed at.

She shakes her head fervently, "I can't _believe _you fought my cousin."

He stands, "And I'm sorry for that, alright? I wasn't thinking. But you could have stuck up for me, Rose! I'm your boyfriend, surely that's above James?"

"Are you dense? You're only my boyfriend with us four – so no, I couldn't have stuck up for you!"

Brooke and Lorcan silently exchange looks, trying to come to a decision. They could try and reason, tell them that it's James fault, attempt to patch everyone up – but, in the end, it's not their place. Brooke coughs, "You two can, you know, do your thing.. I'm just.."

"Yeah, we're gonna split.." Lorcan adds. They slip out the door without a glitch, leaving the couple alone to discuss what happened. They can't help, as much as they want to, because the two of them have to sort it out. Brooke finds this the most difficult but knows it must be done.

Meanwhile, Scorpius is trying to understand why he's so furious at Rose. He has all this pent up anger from the fight – because that didn't serve to rid him of it, only increase it – and his emotions are running high. For reasons he's coming to understand, it's all being channelled at his girlfriend. He's frustrated beyond means that she couldn't help him, and that leads to the route of the problem; the real problem. He wants to be open with his relationship, for girls to know he's off-limits and her, too. Furthermore, this revelation has led him to realise that they can't work out. This incident proves they can never go public, and he knows he doesn't want to live a life of secrets and clandestine meetings. This frustrates him most of all.

Their families would never accept it – he believes hers more so than his. Sure, his grandparents would have a canary, but his parents wouldn't be too bad. Rose's though? He had always hoped both sides would eventually accept the pairing for the sake of their happiness – but he's beginning to see how naïve he was being.

Through these thoughts, Rose is still ranting. "…I told you before not to fight with them. I specifically _asked _you to avoid contact and arguments! You don't get along with them, and that's fine, but Merlin – don't hit them! You think that's going to help us?"

"It won't work." He says softly, even surprising himself. The fire and anger drains from his bones, leaving nothing but an incredible weariness. He sinks back into the couch despondently.

"What?" She snaps, appearing angry at his deflation. "How will that not work? Just be the bigger man, and walk a—"

"I'm not talking about that." His eyes drift across the room, recalling all the good times they've had here. As well as all the shouting matches, with Lorcan and Brooke trying valiantly to reason with the two stubborn mules. He returns to Rose, "We won't work, Rose. You were right at the start… we were never going to work out, and I'm surprised we lasted this long. Our families? They're – they're far too different."

She begins to throw back a vicious argument, but then she _hears _his words. They process. Her throat feels like it's closing up, and her goddamned treacherous eyes betray her shock and hurt. Words rapidly vanish from her mind, rendering her without a reply. Her chest constricts while her heart seems to clench and shatter. The pieces cut into her deeply, wounding and she's sure it will leave a scar. Tears burn, but she pushes them fiercely away. She hates that she cries so easily as it makes her so vulnerable.

"I… What?" Annoyance creeps into her as she hears her raspy, whispery tone.

Scorpius stands and makes his way to the door. His eyes are a brooding grey when he looks back at her, "It's over, Rose. You said at the start it wouldn't work. You were right."

She wants to scream about how wrong she is. She wants to hit him for being so stupid. She wants to kill James for ruining everything, and castrate Albus for being the catalyst. Above all, she wants to berate herself for being so utterly and completely in love with him.

Determination strikes her as that thought enters, and she runs after him. She finds him halfway down the stairs. Rose blurts out, "I was wrong! Scorpius, I was so wrong."

He pauses for a nanosecond, his hand freezing on the stone railings. She can see his knuckles whiten with the grip he has on it. Suddenly, he lifts his hand and continues walking.

Rose slides down onto the steps, "Scorpius.." she calls after him, her voice cracking. He doesn't stop or turn back this time; after all, looking back would only make it harder.

* * *

Their relationship started out quite nicely. It wasn't as most would expect; full of fire, passion and banter. Well, sure, it was passionate, but not the kind you'd think. It was in fourth year, a year since they befriended each other, and Rose was feeling the brunt of her parents arguments. It was just after Christmas break and they had only been back at Hogwarts a few days. However, she received a letter from her parents about the arguments – they were debating a trial separation.

At first, she wasn't sure how she felt. Then the world seemed to come crushing down around her. Why did it have to be so difficult? If they had loved each other enough once to make it through, why didn't that count now? Why couldn't they just remember why they were in love? Her heart ached for the people they once were, for the couple they once were. She struggled to understand the adult process, the development of life and how people changed. She only fourteen, after all. It was difficult to try and reach that maturity.

In the end, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. So she ran. She ran to the one place she knew she'd find solace for the time being, away from prying eyes and pitying phrases. They couldn't help her, they couldn't fix what had happened. No one could, and that frustrated her, too. She hated being so helpless in the situation.

She reached the Room of Requirement and took the time to get it open. The plush, black couches that greeted her everytime were as she preferred them. The room knew her mood; the lights were lower than normal, and the radio wasn't playing like usual. She threw herself onto the couch as swiftly as she could, burying her face deep within the pillow and allowing the tears to finally escape. And by Merlin, did they rush out. They stampeded from her lids, leaving a path of moisture in their wake. Her body couldn't handle it and shook with the ferocity of the tears, with the ferocity of everything she was feeling.

That was how Scorpius found her. He wasn't expecting it, of course, so he stumbled a bit. She didn't even know he was there until he tentatively sat down beside her and hesitantly touched her back. She jumped at the contact, not realising he had been there. Upon turning and seeing him, Rose hastily swiped at her tears, willing them desperately to stop. She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her nose, too, feeling very self-conscious all of a sudden.

Scorpius rubbed her back, "You don't have to put up the wall, you know. It's okay to cry."

She didn't know he'd react like that – normally, he showed all the emotion of a cloth. "I—I don't know what to do."

"Well, what's the problem?"

"My parents." She replied quietly, finding her hands quite interesting as she stared intently at them. "They're separating."

He inhaled sharply, and exhaled slowly. Then, as delicately as possible, he asked, "Forever?" Rose couldn't do anything but shrug one of her shoulders. Scorpius felt terrible for her, sat closer to wrap his arms around her. Once she was comfortable in his arms, Scorpius began to say words of comfort. They meant nothing, that was clear to both parties, but it was the fact he was saying them.

An hour passed easily, both of them at ease in the embrace. Rose felt secure, safe and above all – she somehow felt more _content,_ and at peace with the situation. After he told her about his day, to keep her mind on something else, a small period of silence fell between them.

Rose said what was on her mind. "Thank you, Scorpius." She couldn't try and make her tone more genuine, because it was coming directly from a place of sincerity. She glanced up to meet his eyes, to find them already on her.

There was an honesty there that she, a few years ago, would have been surprised to see in a Malfoy. It made her angry to know that others didn't take the time to know this wonderful boy because of a stupid name. His eyes dropped to their entwined hands, "You know I'd do anything for you, Rose."

The kiss is nothing like she expected. She had envisioned their first kiss before, having had feelings for him for a while – but afraid he would break her heart, or reject her. Nonetheless, none of the versions were anything like this. It was slow, deliberate and didn't last long enough. Yet, it seemed as if it stretched on forever. It was burned into her memory from then on. Scorpius waited a minute to speak, "I've liked you for ages, Rose. I don't want this to seem like I'm taking adv—"

"You're not." She interrupted. "It was the right time, completely." Rose smiled sweetly at him, but it didn't take long for the reality of the situation to dawn on her. "We can't be together though."

His own smile dropped at this, "And why not?"

"It—it's just wrong."

"What's wrong about it? I like you, you like me.. it's simply math, Red."

"No. You're a Malfoy, and I'm a Weasley. Where have you been the past one hundred years?"

"You're being dramatic. If we have to hide it for the time being, so be it. But I want to be with you, Rose."

Her resolve was weakening with every word, and effectively broken when he kissed her again. Rose and Scorpius were together from that moment on – at least in theirs, Lorcan and Brooke's minds.

* * *

Thanks for reading, please review! I'll update daily if I get the reviews.. if not, every 2-3 days. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! Disclaimer from the last one still stands.  
CN


	3. Crying On The Staircase

**Chapter Three: And I was crying on the staircase, begging you 'please don't go'. **

As the weeks pass, and the students enter the final few days before Christmas break, Brooke still finds herself forcing Rose to class every morning. She uses a different ruse each time; being a star student, missing out, falling behind, the feminist who wouldn't allow a boy to let her fail, suspicion from others, and so on. However, today, she's becoming exasperated. As she brushes Rose hair, she tells her repeatedly about how ridiculous the red-head is being. Rose mumbles something incomprehensible and plays with the frayed ends of her jumper. She hates being like this, too.

They walk slowly to breakfast, as they always do now. Brooke's incessant chatter fills up the brooding silences. It's not an uncomfortable or tense silence, but Brooke hates it nonetheless. She hates silence and has an incurable urge to break them. She's not sure where that stems from, or just why it puts her at ease to constantly have chatter and noise around her, yet it's a fact of her life. Her friends know it well and she has no qualms in saying it.

Unexpectedly, Rose pulls away and a smile blooms across her face. Brooke halts mid-sentence, wondering if her friend has officially lost it. She follows Rose's gaze then and spots her brother eating a girls face.

Normally, Rose would find such an activity involving her brother utterly gross, especially with the way they're going at it, but her interest had been peaked at the sight of black hair. There's a genuine smile as she cheers, "Woo Hugo! I knew there was something between you and Sabrina!"

Raine Nott pulls away from Hugo, "Excuse me?" He doesn't look too happy, either.

Brooke takes this as the time to drag the speechless Weasley away before she adds more to the already acidic situation. Once they enter the Great Hall, Brooke faces the omni-present issue of where the hell to sit. They usually sat near Scorpius, which was obviously not an option, though she spies Lorcan across from him. She's at a loss.

She spots Dominique Weasley then, who isn't even in Ravenclaw, and directs Rose towards her. They both take a seat across from her. The girl had been telling a story to her other cousin, Lucy, but as soon as she see's the two older girls she smiles widely, "Rose, Brooke! How nice of you to grace our side of the table."

Rose raises an eyebrow as she loads her plate, "What are you even doing at this table, Dom?"

"Fancied a change of scenery," She replies with a shrug of her shoulder. Brooke identifies plenty with Dominique, if not classing herself as a little bit more sophisticated, but can't help be envious at how effortlessly beautiful the girl is. She knows that Dominique is part-Veela, but is it fair to look that good? Those sort of people should be shipped off to Beaxbatons, away from the common English folk.

Her blonde hair is long and healthy, reaching her elbows and looks as if one could sell if on the black market for hundreds. Her eyes, not the traditional colour, are a mesmerising brown that sparkle like they hold the worlds secrets and the faint scatter of freckles across her face add a relatable semblance to her. She seems even more gorgeous because of the freckles somehow. For some reason, she hates when Dominique hangs out with the four of them. If it's just Rose and Brooke it's okay, but adding the boys to the mix, she hates how Dominique domineers their attention.

"So, what's first this morning, ladies?" The girl in question asks, buttering her toast lightly.

"Transfiguration," Brooke moans. "I wish McGonagall didn't have it out for me."

"She only has it out for you because you never do your homework," Rose counters dryly, pushing her fried egg around her plate.

"Pish-posh, she doesn't like me."

Dominique is squinting at Rose, making the other girl squirm a little, "I'm not being offensive here, but you're looking a bit worse for wear, Rosie."

She hates that her friends and family call her Rosie. She hates the name entirely, coming from anyone's lips. "I just had a rough night, that's all – and no, I don't want to hear your sex comment."

She holds up her hands in a stance of defence, "Hey, who said anything about a sex joke?"

Rose finds herself drifting away from the antics of her friends, as Dominique and Brooke usually just discuss gossip and clothes, anyway. Lucy is quite silent through the whole exchange. With the others preoccupied, Rose allows her mind to wander to her ex-boyfriend once again. _Ex._ God, does she hate that. It's a dark reminder of the unceremonious dumping he gave her, as if it was nothing but a fling. Feeling rather weak in that moment, she risks a glance at him and instantly all colour drains from her face.

She knows the girl has always been interested in him, but for some reason, Rose never thought anything would actually happen. It seems Scorpius must have been rebuffing her all this time, because she wouldn't know that it's only okay to make a move now – doesn't know that he wasn't single, but is fresh on the rebound now.

Scratch that, she always suspected the other girl would make a move, but never _ever _thought Scorpius would reciprocate. Except there he is. Sitting at the table, not ten people down from her, whispering something in her ear and making her laugh outrageously. Rose blanches, pushing her plate of half-eaten food away.

"..you think? Rose? Roooose?" With no response, Brooke follows her friends line of sight. Her jaw drops, but once she gets over the initial astonishment, Brooke mutters, "Oh no. No he did not." She stands, fuming, and stomps her way over to him. Brooke and Scorpius have been friends since first year, long before Rose was added to the mix, and she thought she knew him pretty well. The boy she knew wouldn't flaunt some new girl and parade her around in front of Rose.

The boy she knew wouldn't boast a new girl mere weeks after the break-up, but moreover, he would never boast her _cousin._

Without an ounce of hesitance, she pulls him from his seat mercilessly to face her. Also, without hesitance or much thought, she slaps him fiercely across the face. "You fucking idiot." The slap reverberates around the people beside him, rendering them all quiet. The rest of the Great hall plays on, not noticing the act. However, it doesn't take long for the silence to catch on as people begin to watch things unfold.

Brooke's oblivious to everyone's eyes because of the anger. She doesn't spare him another glance, and proceeds to pick Lorcan up from his seat and drag him out of the room. "Aw, but B, I hadn't even started on my panca…" His voice fades out as the doors close behind them. The second the gap closes, everyone explodes into chatter. Whispers, laughter and speculation are the general trend. Scorpius stares at the door in shock, still in the same position since she abused him.

He storms out himself then, not giving anyone a word or glance – not even Rose. Safe to say, it doesn't help the rumour mill.

Dominique turns to an equally stunned Rose, nonchalantly remarking, "Wow, didn't know Brooke and Scorpius were a _thing._ Beats me why he'd look twice at Molly – no offence, Lucy."

* * *

Rose emerges from Transfiguration later on feeling much better, while Brooke is now grumbling about how stupid the subject is. Rose can't agree with her, but lets the girl rant nonetheless. It's actually Rose's favourite class because she's brilliant at it, and has had more than one person remark on how she must have gotten that from her Mum. Being truthful, it irritates Rose how everything she does is somehow linked to her mother. She loves and admires her though, so most of the time, she takes it as a compliment.

It's difficult being the daughter of "The Smartest Witch of her Age", even if she tries not to show it. Living in someone's shadow is something most of her friends and family have to do; it's the price that comes from being the second generation. That's what they're called in the papers, stupidly.

She's drawn from her thoughts by Brooke linking her, "So, how are we feeling now, babe? I'm through with my rant."

"Much better. You know how much I love it!" Her eyes catch sight of someone then, "Wait, is that?"

"Molly." Brooke replies. Her tone means business, and Rose can only imagine her delight when the girl in question flounces over with a broad smirk. Rose doesn't like Molly – not much of the Weasley children do – but Brooke hates her. They've never gotten along, ever since first year when Brooke 'accidentally' spilt a drink on the girl in the train following a catty comment. Molly is in seventh year, with the maturity of someone in third.

From the words that tumble out of Molly's mouth next, she must assume Brooke's slap was to do with jealousy. "Oh, hi, Brooke. I'm just off to see my _Romeo,"_ She lets out a long, highly false giggle. "Let's hope the family doesn't find out. Right, Rose? They'd kill me! I'm just waiting for James to go berserk."

"Move on Molly, nobody cares." Rose starts wearily, trying to squash the hurt fighting it's way to her eyes. Her eyes always seem to betray her, damn them.

Brooke takes a different approach. Letting go of Rose, she takes a step forward to intimidate the older girl. "We don't give two _shi—"_

"Brooke, leave her." Rose's troubled tone alerts Brooke, who sends Molly a scathing look instead and walks ahead. By the clenching of her fists, she's mad as hell. Which Rose doesn't understand, because surely she should be the one annoyed?

"She called him Romeo." Brooke hisses, a frown marring her features. The inside joke between their group was how Scorpius and Rose were the star-crossed lovers, like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, is that Brooke is referring to. Before Rose can reply to that, through the object lodged in her throat (or so it felt.), the other girl speaks again, "If Molly is up here before transfiguration, James must be as well.."

Rose shakes her head, "Oh, Brooke, don't bother with him. He's not worth—" She's flouncing over to a group of boys a few feet away from them then, and Rose cringes because it's that typical 'lad' group. She has to stay and wait for her, unwilling to completely leave Brooke with the sharks. She'll just wait bit away.

"Who do you think you are, James? Starting fights for no reason at all? Don't interfere in things that aren't your business."

He laughs condescendingly, "And what does that mean, Brookie?"

"You've nothing to do with Scorpius. Personally, I'm disgusted with how primal you acted." She takes a step closer, relishing in how he seems to think she's going to give into some nonsensical, passionate make-out session like some idiot. "We're through, Potter." His face drops. "No more kissing, flirting, hugging… I'm not speaking to you again until you apologise to Scorpius Malfoy."

James, feeling hurt and humiliated, "Oh, what, you love him that much?"

Brooke, in all her anger and habit of speaking without thinking, strikes back with, "YES! Yes, I do – wait, what?" James eyes widen, visibly shaken by the revelation and a little wounded. Before Brooke can get out another word, he stalks away. His friends follow him, barely acknowledging her presence.

Brooke, her eyes as wide as James', turns around to Rose and she immediately begins apologising, "I'm so sorry, Rose, I didn't mean to - I was just trying to hurt – I wasn't thinking –"

"It's okay," Rose laughs, "It doesn't matter if people think you're with Scorpius. Makes me feel less uncomfortable around everyone if they suspect you rather than me." She links her arm through Brooke's again, disturbed with how quiet the girl is. "Besides, I love how you talked to that jerk."

Brooke averts her eyes and responds half-heartedly, "Yeah… me too."

* * *

The walk to the Room of Requirement is not unlike the one to breakfast, but both of them are silently hoping this time that Scorpius is nowhere in sight. There's a strange lack of chatter between them, the strangeness mostly stemming from the fact that Brooke isn't filling it. The talkative girl is caught up in her own thoughts and dealings of the day, after causing so much gossip for herself. She can scarcely believe she said those things to James, especially making him think she's in love with Scorpius. Sure, she had enjoyed chastising him for fighting Scorpius, but then it crossed a line.

Brooke actually likes James, and now she had ended everything with him. She had quite clearly said no kissing, flirting or even hugging! What had she been thinking? Her temper is her greatest vice once it gets going, and that's why she so rarely allows herself to get angry. She can't think straight when she's angry. Brooke much prefers the relaxed, chilled version of herself and is this person for most of the time.

She's angry at herself now. She saw the brief hurt in his eyes as he turned and left, the slight slump in his shoulders as he did so and the lag in his step. She hadn't intended on hurting him. It was the anger, that damned anger. Her anger should have been directed at Scorpius, but James had been there. And he is partly to blame for everything falling apart.

Now, James wants nothing more to do with her. Her best friend is a quieter, more boring version of herself. Scorpius and her aren't talking now she assumes. Lorcan feels trapped between sides.

Brooke herself felt torn before today, and had her loyalty to Rose not been so strong, she might be still talking to Scorpius. As it is, she doesn't approve of the Molly/Scorpius situation and definitely not of the show they put on. In all honesty though, she doesn't want to lose him as a friend. Six years of friendship shouldn't mean nothing.

They're abruptly at the entrance to the room, and once the door appears, they exchange a look of apprehension. If Scorpius is inside, it will be highly interesting. Even if they don't want to face what's happening, they'll have to at some point. At least there will be some sort of closure. They had been postponing their Room of Requirement meetings till tonight, when both Brooke and Rose agreed to meet Lorcan there - and Scorpius.

Upon entering, however, they see Lorcan sitting patiently on the couch. He's on his own. Every night since third year, they all meet in the Room of Requirement to talk, do homework, or just relax. Except – Scorpius isn't here.

Lorcan looks casually over at Brooke from his homework before saying nonchalantly, "So, I hear you're in love with Scor, B."

"Goddammit, I'm not in love with Scorpius Malfoy!" Brooke objects loudly, stamping her foot harshly down onto the ground in a rather childish fashion. Lorcan chuckles. "It was a slip-up when I was fighting with James; a complete accident! Now, I've been asked about five hundred and thirty seven times today about our 'relationship'. I mean, as if I could love that _asshole._" She pauses thoughtfully during this rant to glimpse at Rose, "Sorry."

Rose waves her off, "Oh, don't be."

Brooke sits down beside Lorcan, trying to explain, "I was only trying to rile James."

"Well, it worked. He's furious as far as I can see. Of course, I'm only assuming this because I heard him verbally attacking Molly and Scorpius in the hallway. He mentioned you, Brooke, more than once."

"How much are we talking here?"

"Ah, I'd say an average of twenty. Every third word was Brooke," He rolls his eyes and the girls do the same, but at Lorcan's obvious exaggeration.

He then shifts uncomfortable, which is out of character for him. "Eh, Rose?" she turns to him, fearful of the words coming next. He never calls her Rose. It's _always _Rosie or Red. "Scorpius asked me to give you something.."

"An apology gift? A note? A letter?" With each suggestion, Rose's heart perked a little bit.

Brooke and Lorcan's eyes meet subtly, her understanding immediately that this is nothing to do with reconciliation. Both of them hate seeing Rose so broken, so upset about everything. Brooke shakes her head at Rose, "I doubt it, babe."

Lorcan reaches into his pocket, taking out a silver mens bracelet. It's one that slides over your wrist through a narrow gap in the steel, but on the inside, in beautiful font reads, _Scorpius Malfoy._ Rose bought it from him for their year anniversary, joking that she was going to put 'loves Rose Weasley' on it, but wanted him to be able to look at it if they ever split.

She doesn't take it from his hands, and instead leaves the room. Brooke figures time alone is needed from her, so doesn't follow. She and Lorcan are left alone. Which isn't an unusual occurrence.

Both feel miserable about themselves, and yet, irritated that their friends dated because it ruined everyone's friendship. "He's not going to come around, is he?"

Lorcan exhales slowly through his nose, shaking his head, "Nope."

* * *

A/N: So I've a few things to say at the end of this chapter, so bear with me if you can! hah.. First off, I'm sorry for the long wait. I had exams, blah, blah, you know the drill. They're mostly over now though, so hopefully I can update as usual. Secondly, I have to reiterate, this is a **re-write** of "We Were Both Young". The plot is essentially the same, with no big surprises, and the changes are mainly grammatical and slight plot fixtures. It took me literally a day and a half to re-write the whole thing, so I haven't put in the work that I perhaps ought to have. Regardless, I hope you still enjoy it, and I'm sorry for the lack of change.  
Don't own HP or Love Story.

Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate it.  
CN.


	4. My Faith in You Was Fading

**Chapter Four: My faith in you was fading, when I met you on the outskirts of town.**

For as long as Rose can remember, for reasons she isn't aware of, there's been a tradition between the Potters and the Granger branch of the Weasleys. During the Christmas break, on the 28th to be precise, they would spend the day together. Each year it alternated house, but this year, it's the Potters turn to host.

Although she can't fathom why now, Rose and Lily had picked this day to visit her aunt. She doesn't want to leave though, and it's not just to do with the fact that it could go drastically wrong. It's also to do with the festivity and happiness in the house; there's chatter, singing, games and general fun ensuing in the house. Everyone is there; Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Lily, Albus, James, Rose, Hugo… They make for great get together's. However, Lily and Rose made a plan, and they intend on sticking to it.

They make a subtle signal to each other. Rose looks around to see what everyone is doing. Hugo and Albus are playing a video game on a nearby relevision, while James is chatting with the adults. Lily and Rose are sure this is the time to leave. It's seven o'clock, their parents have had a little to drink, (It's the holidays.) and everyone is too happy to care.

Neither Rose nor Lily are sure how Harry's aunt is going to react. They don't even know what kind of person she is, however, the fact that no one will talk about her does not weigh in their favour. Half of Rose expects the door to be slammed in her face. Ideally, she'd be a lovely woman who would answer all of Lily's questions, but Rose had to remind the younger girl multiple times that Harry hasn't spoken to her in years and probably with good reason.

Their escape plan consists of pretending to see Brooke – who has been made aware of this – but instead catching the Knight Bus to Privet Drive, where his aunt lives. Rose had been the one to discover that bit of information, through much muggle investigative work. It pretty much involved looking through the muggle listings, really. Thank god for them, there isn't a lot of Petunia Evans' in the area where Harry grew up – he had answered that question easily. Lily just casually asked him the other week what area he spent most of his childhood in, minus the magical world. They knew the aunt was married, but hoped maybe she kept her maiden name.

Rose nods to Lily, absolutely dreading trying to lie. She's hoping to come off as nonchalant, but she's simply an awful liar, something which she likes to say is a result of her honest and good personality. Lily is slightly better. Brooke is a brilliant liar, and usually always the one to talk Rose out of sticky situations.

Lily speaks first, "We're, um, going to Brooke's for a while."

Ginny nods, "Have a good time. Be back by nine though, I want you here for the games! Christmas is spent with family, honey."

"I know, Mum. Thanks!" They're both about to turn and leave when Harry's voice halts them, "Lily, put on a jacket. It's freezing out!" The girl groans in response but runs to get it, leaving an uncomfortable Rose behind.

"Look after Lily, yeah, Rosie? I know she's only a year younger, but still. Actually, isn't it a bit of a walk to Brooke's?" Ron asks, frowning. "I should probably walk—"

"No!" Rose exclaims loudly, startling everyone. All eyes on her now. "I mean – we'll be fine. Of course we will. Lorcan's going to meet us halfway! Yes, Lorcan. We'll be fine."

Hermione raises her eyebrows, her gaze piercing Rose. She inwardly curses, knowing her mother always had the ability to see right through her. Without looking away, she asks her nephew, "James, didn't you say Lorcan was out to dinner today?"

Rose begins to silently berate herself, and tries to think of what she can say to counter this. James expels all of these worries though when he shrugs, "He's probably finished. He didn't say what he was doing after, just that he wouldn't make it to the Quidditch match."

Harry, seemingly catching onto Hermione's suspicion, says casually then, "I didn't know Lily was friends with Brooke, Rose."

Rose tries to convey to her mother with her eyes how desperate she is, how she needs to do this. Someday, she'll tell her mum about this night, but now is not the time. They'll only stop her. Her eyes flick back to her uncle, "She's not.. But I want them to know each other. My best friends should be friends, after all!"

Hermione, whether it's because she gets Rose's message, or really believes her, nods, "Okay, be careful. Just keep to the nine o'clock curfew." Normally, she's allowed out much later than that, but given it's Christmas, Rose decides not to complain. She concedes that it is time for family.

Lily breezes into the room then, a disgruntled expression on her face, "I think I left my new jacket at Nana's yesterday. It doesn't matter though. Anyway, I'll see you later!"

They race out the door, not giving their parents the customary kiss on the cheek, but hope that the adults think nothing of it. Simultaneous sighs of relief are released when they are safely away, causing them both to laugh.

They exclaim incredulously about their luck as they wait for the Knight Bus, filled with optimism from their success so far.

* * *

It's a tale told by many, to many, and Rose has heard it many times from peers and relatives; the Knight Bus is an unpleasant mode of transport, and the least favoured method of transportation. Furthermore, if one must board the rollercoaster, eating beforehand is definitely not advised. However, Rose and Lily ignored all this information. They had eaten dinner, desert and several sugary snacks before coming out. Right now, Rose really wishes they hadn't done that.

She feels a little queasy, but is not about to vomit. On the other hand, the same can't be said for Lily, who throws up instantly after she gets off the bus. Rose doesn't tend to get sick, she has a strong stomach. On the other hand, watching Lily do it doesn't do wonders for her. Especially holding her hair and rubbing her back whilst whispering words of comfort – this does not make holding down her own food any easier.

Once she's finished, Lily pulls at tissue from her bag and wipes her mouth. Rose stands helpless beside her, waiting. Lily, eager to get back on track, asks, "Have you got any water?"

Of course. Rose always comes prepared, and pulls out both a bottle of water and a chewing gum. Lily takes them gratefully, thanks her and then tugs on her cousins sleeve. "Okay, let's go."

"Are you okay?" Rose laughs, seeing how easily Lily brushes off the incident.

"Perfect. Which way is it?"

Rose points to the left, "This way, I think. Should we have told Albus and James? They probably would have liked to be here, too, you know."

"No." Lily replies firmly, sounding as if she's thought about this. "Albus would tell on me. James would make a show of me."

Rose snorts, "Sounds like James, alright. Maybe you're right."

"Yeah, I heard he messed up with Brooke again," Lily says as they walk.

"Yes, once _again._ I wish they'd just hurry up and get together already.."

Lily turns quiet. "I always thought it would be Lorcan and Brooke."

"Lorcan and Brooke?" Rose repeats, having never thought of them before. It has honestly only crossed her mind a handful of times, and she has gotten used to brushing it off easily. "I don't think they look at each other like that."

"You think?"

Rose shrugs, "Don't really know. But I think so. Now, here we are." They stand outside the house. She's surprised by how average it is, but doesn't know why. She supposes she expected more from the childhood home of the hero. Yes, he's her uncle, but Harry is still the hero of the century. Everyone knows it, and everyone tells her. The house is rather plain though from what she see's. She grabs her cousins hand and squeezes it, "You ready?"

Lily inhales deeply, "As I'll ever be."

* * *

It had taken another ten minutes of dilly-dallying before either of them worked up the courage to knock. Rose reasoned with – what's the worst that can happen? But standing at the door, Lily shaking next to her, Rose struggles to remember that. Besides, the old woman could try and tell their parents.

Somehow, she doubts that scenario.

Less than a minute later, the door is answered. It feels like an hour before someone finally answers their knocking. The knots in her stomach can be contributed to the utter instability of this meeting. There's no constant, nothing definite or secure. The only thing she knows is she's in it with Lily – and let's not forget, Rose reminds herself, that this might not even be the right woman.

A crack in the doorway reveals a tall woman, with brown tufts of curls, a grey tint to the roots. Her eyes are a dark brown that convey a sad sort of loneliness, her face worn with wrinkles embedded into the areas around her mouth and eyes. Judging from the places where her skin creases, she doesn't smile much.

Donning a pale pink dress with white frills around the seam, and a white apron over that, the unease in Rose's bones lessens. Women who wear frills have to be a little nice. Maybe this is Rose grasping at straws.

The older woman has a guarded look in her eyes, waiting for one of the girls to speak. Rose nudges Lily, prompting her to say what they rehearsed. Lily is simply staring at her in, what appears to be, wonder.

She starts when Rose subtly hits her, then begins speaking, "Um, hi. We're… from the local Scouts club and would like to talk to you for a moment about our newest charity fundraiser, if you don't mind. May we come in?" Rose is nodding at the start, but then she looks wildly around to Lily. That is _not _what she's supposed to be saying.

The woman eyes them, "I'm not interested."

As she's about to close the door, eclipsing Lily's hopes and wishes, Rose stops it with her foot. "We're not from the Scouts."

Rose feels a little guilty as alarm begins to creep into the woman's expression. She hurries on, "Are you Petunia Evans? Sister to Lily Evans?"

"You're one of _them._" Petunia spits, trying to close the door again.

Rose halts it with her hand, while Lily is useless. She is stuck staring at Petunia, her mouth hanging open. "Please, we just want to know about Lily! We're not going to hurt you, I promise!"

Lily, clear as day, announces, "I'm Harry Potters daughter."

The struggle with the door between Petunia and Rose ends then, as she lets the door fall open. Petunia does the staring this time, stunned at the latest revelation. "Y—you're his offspring?"

Lily nods wordlessly.

"With that bushy-haired normal-ish girl?"

"Hermione? No, that's Rose's Mum. Look, could I please ask you a few questions about my grandmother? Please? You know, my name is Lily. After her. My name is for her, and yet, I know absolutely nothing about her – it kills me. I sit around wondering 'did she do her homework in the ten minutes before class, too?' or 'was her first love James Potter, or did she fall in love before that?' I mean.. all anyone tells me is how wonderful she was. Which is great. But—but I've a feeling you've a deeper understanding of her… you were her sister, after all."

The atmosphere is stifling. Rose has the greatest desire to blend into the granite walls as she feels as if she's intruding upon the moment. She shouldn't really be here, she's not related to this woman in the slightest. Petunia stands there for a while longer, not saying anything, then speaks almost fretfully, "Yes, well, she was my sister. She was a bright girl, our parents nurtured that the best they could. Loved _magic. _I—I.. I don't want to talk about this."

Both Rose and Lily try to voice their objections, wanting desperately for her to continue. Lily had been given a taste of what there is to know, she wants her Aunt to continue. It seems so unfair for it to have been so close, and now simply snatched out of sight. Petunia firmly shakes her head, "No. Get away from my door or I'll call the police."

They step back wordlessly then. Rose is beginning to see why her and Harry are estranged relatives, and as she does so often later, berates herself. How did she ever consider this a valid or good idea? It was always going to end badly. There's a _reason _Harry doesn't talk to or about his aunt.

Neither of them speak as they leave the driveway, and just as Rose is about to try to comfort Lily in some way, they hear the door open again. Petunia says in a very formal, business-like tone, "You may send me a letter. Through the _normal _post. I'll reply with some stories, if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful!" Lily gushes, her smile lighting up her face.

* * *

By the time Rose returns to her own house, it's after three. This is customary for their Christmas celebrations, because time together is the topic of the night, and sometimes the laughter, drink and heart-to-hearts lasts for hours. Upon leaving, Rose bid farewell to her other family. When Lily reached Rose, the girl hugged her tightly, depriving Rose of air for a few minutes as she repeatedly whispered 'thank you'. Rose, in that moment, knew she made the right decision in conceiving the plan and even in deciding to go with Lily.

The day ended in a success, yet, Rose still feels wretched. She knows why, but she'd rather pretend that she doesn't. Not wanting to be alone following these reflexions, Rose heads for her brothers room. She knocks lightly on the door, waiting for the go ahead to enter (she'd hate to walk in on something awkward) but he's sitting on his bed, earphones in as he listens to some music. The reason why becomes apparent when she hears her mother storming into her own room, and locking the door behind her.

She ignores this, and pulls out one of his earphones playfully, "What up, H?"

He yanks the earphone back, "Nothing much. Trying to block out their arguments.. the usual. Do you ever wonder why they didn't stay separated a few years ago?"

They never address this side of the story, this side of their parents. Rose shrugs, unwilling to think on it, "They love each other." She quickly changes the topic, praising herself for her speedy-thinking, "So, what the hell were you doing with Raine Nott last week? She's in my year!"

He shrugs, "I kind of wanted to see if Sabrina would care." Rose raises her eyebrows in askance, to which he gives a grin, "It worked. I think we're together."

He's so awkward and adorable as he says it, and Rose squeals in excitement. She nudges him jokingly and he hits her away. She doesn't bother asking how he 'thinks' they're together, as that's probably just the weird in between stage where nothing is defined. "Oh, that's brilliant, Hugh! I always thought she'd be a great match for you. I've been waiting years for it! Chemistry galore, you know?" Hugo only laughs in return, his cheeks flushing a little.

"Thanks. But how are things between you and Scorpius?"

"uh, wha—what?" She shakes her head, "What are you saying?" The question was said so casually, so utterly nonchalantly – which, come to think of it, is so Hugo – that Rose thinks she hears wrong at first. However, it's clear from his expression that she didn't. Her heart races as she scrambles for an answer.

He rolls his eyes, "It's so obvious to anyone who knows you. You're not very discrete with all your gooey eye-contact and ghastly giggling."

Unable to think of anything else, she frowns, "You make it sound disgusting."

"It was." He replies, not missing a beat, "So you're admitting to it?"

Rose sighs, "Yeah. Yeah, we had something going."

"Had?"

"Yep. Past tense."

"So when are you going to tell Mum and Dad?"

"Hopefully, never." Hugo shakes his head at his sister. For the older sister, she can be pretty naïve sometimes. He sticks his earphones back in and she takes her leave. Hugo frowns as she leaves; if she thinks she can keep the relationship – because he has no doubts that it's not over – a secret, then she's more stupid and naïve than he had originally believed.

* * *

Naturally, the night isn't toasty warm, but absolutely freezing. Outside, a layer of frost makes everything glisten like out of a book. After admiring the peace in the air outside for several more minutes, Rose goes in search of her hot-water bottle. Snuggling into her bed, she presses it close to her feet in an effort to remain warm.

With not much else on her mind, Rose thinks back to her conversation with Hugo. Had she and Scorpius truly been that obvious? She previously would have said they were highly discrete, but if her brother noticed, surely that wasn't the case… Yet, neither James or Albus noticed. On top of this, and more tellingly, Dominique didn't notice – and she notices everything. This comforts Rose slightly, and she chalks the conversation up to Hugo being incredibly perceptive.

There's a sudden sound that echoes through her room, sort of like a _clink. _It sends a ripple of fear through her, but Rose tried to put this to rest. No one would dare burgle Ron and Hermione Weasley – would they? The sound rings out again, and Rose realises it's something being thrown at her window.

Getting out of her bed, she approaches the doors to her balcony carefully. Though she declines to speak about it, her family is quite rich. They are one of the most prominent families following the war and that doesn't come without its perks. Her house is quite grand, with her room being one of the lucky ones as it possesses a balcony. Rose pulls open the glass doors, wrapping her arms around herself to try and keep the heat in.

She's wearing her heaviest fleece pyjamas, but the cold still manages to pierce her. She finally works up the courage to glance over the balcony, and nearly falls over with the shock when she sees who it is. Anger is her initial feeling, but it's quickly overrode with excitement and nerves when he speaks.

"What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.  
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,  
Who is already sick and pale with grief  
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she."

Rose can't help the giggle that passes through her lips, "Scorpius, what on earth are you doing?" She swiftly looks around to make sure nothing is out of place off; any sign that would indicate this is a dream. It doesn't seem that way as he uses a spell to lift himself onto the balcony. Rose takes several steps back, her heart pounding so hard she can barely hear.

He's never been incredibly romantic, the contrast to her hopelessly romantic soul. She'd obviously harped on one too many times about how much she loved the play _Romeo and Juliet, _that being one of the reasons their friends jokingly called them that. She feels a rush of affection for the boy in front of her, so willingly being a complete sap for her and risking the potential humiliation.

Yet, she can't forget the way he walked away from her.

"I'm attempting to gain my fair lady's forgiveness." Scorpius announces, coming closer.

The corner of her mouth quirks, "I knew there was a romantic in there somewhere."

"Do you think you could ever forgive me? Take me back?"

The tears enter the scene right on cue, and she looks to the sky. Biting her lip, Rose shakes her head, "You hurt me, Scor." Her voice is coarse, which annoys her to no end. "I never thought you would hurt me like that… you threw away everything we had after one bump in the road. Is that the way you're going to handle this relationship?"

"God, no, Rose – I was trying to do what was best! For you, for your family.. I thought you'd be better off without!"

"What are you talking about?" She demands.

"You and your cousins weren't on speaking terms, Rose.. I didn't want that to happen with the rest of your family, too. It's not fair on you."

"That's not your decision to make. You took my choice away from me. Who elected you the one who decided what's best for me?"

"I was – I was only trying to protect you," he replies feebly, his hands falling to his sides.

Rose watches him. He's not looking the best. In fact, he looks tired. His eyes reflect a pair that haven't seen the back of their lids properly for many a night, and she sourly thinks that's deserved. Guilt floors her then. She loves this boy, and he's apologising. He's explaining, and he's claiming it was all for her benefit. He may have been very wrong in how he went about it, but he was only trying to do what was best for her in the end.

What really gets her? The fact that he quoted _Romeo and Juliet _for her, not missing a word to boot. It's far more sentimental than anyone she relays this story to will understand. For these reasons, and about a million more, Rose lets her arms fall away from around her torso.

Rose begins slowly inching towards him. "You've been so stupid."

"I know," He nods, accepting it without a struggle.

She's standing in front of him now, her closed fists gently touching his chest. Rose peers up into his eyes, searching for the sincere boy she saw those years ago in the Room of Requirement. He's still there, gazing back at her. Allowing emotion to take over, Rose whispers, "Please don't be that stupid again."

"Never. You're the Juliet to my Romeo."

"I thought I was your Rosaline when Molly was with you," She reveals sadly.

Scorpius shakes his head fervently, "Never. I didn't kiss Molly or anything, all I said was 'pass the butter' huskily and she was all over me. _You _are my Juliet, Rose. I'm so sorry for making you feel like anything else. I love you." He says the last comment simply, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Rose smiles, "I love you, too."

When he lowers his lips to hers, she remembers their first kiss. This one reminds her of it; it's slow, loving and soft. They're not rushing or demanding anything of each other. He gently tugs at her bottom lip, and she runs her hand down his chest. They've been intimate in ways before, but she's never actually had sex with Scorpius. Brooke delights in this information to no end, exclaiming on how strange it is whenever the topic comes up.

She's never felt ready till now. Laying her hand where his heart is, Rose again levels her gaze with his. In this moment, at this age, where they are, Rose believes this is the boy she'll spend her years with. She'll marry him someday, she's so sure of it. People will call her naïve and stupid, but let them; she doesn't care.

With that, Rose pulls an incredulous Scorpius back into her room. She's given him her heart, and now, she's giving him all she has left; her virginity.

* * *

Alright, let the torches and pitchforks come! haha... Although this is a slightly more modern adaption of R&J, I am holding onto the bones of the real one. Kind of. The relationship between Rose and Scorpius _especially _in this chapter, I think, reflect R&J's relationship. The rash, foolishness of it all, the impulse, the crossover of love and lust. However, bear in mind that while that is true here, Rose and Scorpius have been together a lot longer than a few hours.

Anyway, I'll leave it to your own interpreatation. Sorry for the wait, I was celebrating for a few nights after exams and then got the flu. Thanks for reading, would love to hear your thoughts!

Disclaimer: Do not own HP, Love Story by TS or Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, which is quoted in the text.

CN.


	5. So I Sneak Out To The Garden

**Chapter Five: So I sneak out to the garden to see you.**

The next morning is a blur. They wake to the sounds of footsteps, not coming into her room, but passing by. Rose had hastily put some spells around the room last night to protect from noise, and locked the door, yet they had somehow overslept. Rose forgot to set the alarm to wake them before her parents, rendering it a game of spies now. He has to make it out completely unseen. Even by the neighbours, people walking by, her family, and anyone else that could be linked back to her parents – and more importantly, Rose.

He jumps out of the bed, grabbing his trousers and thrusting his leg into it. He's rushing so much that it becomes even more difficult to do properly. Through all this, Scorpius sends her a smile, "Morning, Rose." They laugh at the absurdity of this, "I didn't really want the morning to go like this."

She lowers her voice, even though there are charms around the room, "I know. You'll visit later though?"

"Of course. You're going to your Grandmothers today?" He asks, finally getting his jeans on and buttoning them.

Rose sits on the bed, now in her pyjamas from last night again. "Yeah. I'll call you when I'm home, okay? You better have your mobile on. I didn't get it for you for nothing."

He nods, "I know, I know." His shirt is located underneath the bed. He has it on in a matter of seconds, and leans over to kiss her goodbye. "I love you."

The words still manage to send a flutter through her heart, "I love you." She kisses him goodbye soundly.

Rose would later wonder what twist of fate would have her cousin walk through the door at that moment.

* * *

Albus, rather grudgingly, enters his cousins house with a burden on his shoulders. It wasn't even a burden until about an hour ago, when his mother declared the fight between he and Rose ridiculous. Ergo, Albus is forced to apologise. He's absolutely dreading it, but not exactly for the reasons one would think. He has no qualms in apologising, contrary to the norm among Slytherins. He has no qualms in apologising _when he's in the wrong._ He firmly believes he's not this time, and so the apology – if he's being forced to say it – is going to be utterly false and untrue.

Rose had been alone in that classroom with Malfoy, and so what if he wanted to ask her about it? It was strange. Yet, his mother simply insisted on him apologising before they go to their grandmothers. That's his reason for being there; the sole purpose of visiting his cousins is to serve an apology he doesn't even believe is deserved.

Albus begins to debate on how he should phrase this apology. Should he try to force a genuine and sincere expression – which he is quite talented at – while lying through his teeth? Or should he rehash it in a manner which reflects his lack of remorse regarding the whole situation? He isn't so sure. To be honest, he's troubled by the state of his and Rose's friendship. They've always been best friends, except lately, she seems closer to her Ravenclaw friends and for gods sake, his sister. Growing up, it had always been him and Rose. Yet, he still considers her his best friend, which leads him to wonder if she does the same. Due to their separate houses, they don't talk as much as they used to. He sometimes ponders on what she gets up to when he's not around – presumably hanging out with Lorcan, Brooke and Malfoy. Despite the reduction in time they spend together, he wants to believe that they are the kind of best friends that simply pick up where they left off. In relation to the fight they're in the middle of now, he also wants her to know he was only acting out of care for her.

Or was he? The question is always put to the back of his mind.

In any case, no matter how genuine he wants this apology to sound, and for Rose to accept it, Albus can't help but be suspicious regarding everything 'Rose and Scorpius'. Prior to Brooke's show – which he believes is most definitely just a show – there had been rumours of the two of them. He himself had quite clearly seen Scorpius latch onto her wrist, swiftly tugging her into the classroom with him. Albus had decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and question her later. (Maybe he was afraid of what he'd find if he followed her.) When he did question in her in their next class, Rose had spluttered and stuttered until Brooke saved her. He's sure that if Brooke hadn't been there, Rose would have told him something worth knowing. She was far too frazzled for nothing to be going on.

The story James told him only reinforces his belief that something fishy is going on. James refuses to listen now though, putting the whole thing to rest following his fight with Brooke. He dismisses all of Albus' theories and tells him he overanalyses. Which may be true, but one can't deny the mounting evidence in favour of his theory. Besides, James' opinion doesn't quite count because Albus reckons he's still hung up on Brooke. Albus tried telling him that Brooke is going to end up with Lorcan, but James hears nothing of it.

Anyway, in the wake of James' story of the fight, Albus seems to be the only one to wonder; why the _hell _was Rose alone with Scorpius at the lake anyway? Sure, they're friends, but they never seemed to be that close. It appeared to all the outsiders that they only hung out because they had mutual friends. The others could all be seen alone together; Brooke and Lorcan, Brooke and Rose, Rose and Lorcan, Brooke and Scorpius, Lorcan and Scorpius, at different times together. Never Rose and Scorpius, and now reflecting upon this – rather than think it's a sign of their lack of friendship, perhaps it's a sign of them trying to hide what's really between them.

It isn't that Albus hates Malfoy, or even dislikes him for his personality traits or some horrid incident between them, but it is a method of principle. He never acts on it, simply ignored the lad until now. As he noted, it's a method of principle; it's a common known fact that Malfoys and Potters do not get along. They're sworn enemies, and Albus sure isn't going to break tradition. To top things off, _Weasleys _are also old enemies of the Malfoys. Everything is going against Albus befriending the boy. Albus had already broken tradition by being sorted into Slytherin, he isn't about to let this one go, too. All these reasons are before he even gets to the fact that their parents despise one another - and that's putting it lightly. They tormented each other as children, Albus knows the story. It was inevitable that he developed a dislike towards the next Malfoy.

When it comes down to gritty facts, the only reason Albus Potter wants nothing to do with Scorpius Malfoy is because of his last name.

This is the reason he exiles the memories of them together at the ball, playing happily. They had been oblivious to the stories, to the horrors and the prejudice. He can't blame his younger self; no one knew 'Leo' was actually a Malfoy.

Albus notices that he's been outside Rose's door for several minutes now. He inhales deeply, gathering the wits he needs for this battle, and knocks on the door. He mulls over his apology, finally deciding on adopting a sincere look. He wants to re-establish their relationship.

He knocks again.

But it still grates on him. Rose should want nothing to do with Scorpius outside their group. She shouldn't be sneaking off to secluded areas with him. The tree is a renowned place for couples, and those looking for seclusion. Albus' fist hits the door one more time.

Now, why in the world would Rose be in a place like that with Malfoy?

Feeling frustrating, and with no one opening the door, Albus lets himself in. He regrets this decision immediately, freezing at the sight he's met with.

The first thought in his mind? _So that's the reason Rose was with Malfoy at the lake._

* * *

Thanks a million for the reviews so far! Sorry again for the delay in updates. It's amazing how much procrastination can be done even when you've actually got the story _finished. _haha... Anyway, we're coming to an end now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading!

CN.


	6. And My Daddy Said Stay Away From Juliet

**Chapter Six: And my Daddy said "Stay away from Juliet."**

Everything pivotal in her life happens in a blur. One second she had been thoroughly enjoying a goodbye kiss with her boyfriend, and the next her cousin is standing in the doorway gasping. It could be deemed completely her fault, for she had lost herself so completely in the kiss that the entire world outside them was lost on her.

She doesn't even realise Albus is there until he speaks. It's not some angry accusation, but a murmur of disbelief, "Rose?" It's like he doesn't dare believe what's in front of him. Rose jolts away from Scorpius as if his touch burns her. Her cousins expression is one of hurt.

What does he want her to say? He's seen for himself what's going on here. "Albus, I—" She flounders. There's nothing she can say to make this situation any better; there's not soothing words to reassure Albus or keep him from being angry.

"I kind of suspected it.. but—but why did you just _tell_ me, Rose? I would have kept quiet if you asked…" His guard is down for the first time in literally months around her. Guilt hits Rose like a batter belting the baseball out of the park. She takes a step forward, attempting to grab his arm. He backs away though, leaving her hand alone mid-ar.

"I couldn't tell you, Al. You would have freaked."

Rage is inching its way into his vision now, and Albus points his finger at her, "I can't believe you! I.. I can't let you do this." He turns and runs out of the room. Rose panics, calling his name repeatedly after him. She sprints in pursuit of the boy, down the long corridor of the second floor, and towards the stairs. Rose can faintly hear Scorpius calling her, but she doesn't listen. Her primary motive is catching Albus before he can tell their parents – or, more specifically, her parents. That's a job for her, not him.

She doesn't remember her house being this big. Breathing is becoming more difficult, a sore reminder of how unfit she has become. Her thoughts race as fast as her lefts – wondering how she is going to explain everything to Albus if she does catch him. What if she doesn't though? What will she say to her parents? She can scarcely believe Albus is running off to their parents.

"Albus, just wait!" She feels like they've been running for hours, when in reality, it hasn't even been a few minutes.

As she steps onto the second last step of the stairs, Rose trips over pure air. Her hands come out in front of her to protect her body from the fall, her eyes close to avoid watching the collision. The harsh _thump _of her body hitting the floor is loud in her ears.

Her arm is crushed underneath her from the fall, causing her head to come down roughly against the wooden floors. Her world turns fuzzy in this defining moment, and Rose blearily blinks her eyes to steady her vision. She hoists herself up, struggling all the while, and spots Albus watching her with a torn look. She meets his eyes for only a nanosecond before he's turning his back on her and running to the kitchen again.

As he turns on her, an emotion burns it's way into Rose's heart. She feels it so harshly that it takes her breath away. It causes her heart to ache with loss, it makes her feel foolish and disappointed all at once. Albus has abandoned her when she's hurt; her best friend had looked her in the eyes, acknowledged she was in pain, and left anyway. All to tattle to the parents.

She feels that burning emotion again. The best word to define this feeling, the expression that fits best?

_Betrayal._

* * *

It isn't long before Scorpius is crouching down beside her, supporting her weight as Rose struggles to stand up. Her vision swims a little, worrying her, but this is soon dispelled when it passes quickly. As soon as she's able to see straight again, Rose looks at Scorpius.

Resignation is etched upon both their faces, clear as day for anyone to see. She squeezes his hand, as if to ask "Are you ready?" and he obviously understands, because he nods. She gives him a second to take a deep breath and collect thoughts – let's face it, she needs the extra moment, too –before they move towards the kitchen together.

Beads of sweat dot her forehead as Rose ponders what will happen now. She's dreading the confrontation with her parents - among the people she loves most in the world – but can't help but welcome the relief in no more secrets. She's said it before, but Rose is no good at lying; secrets don't do well with a person like that. Rose glances at her boyfriend, wondering what's going through his mind; is he apprehensive? Angry? Or is he feeling the same relief as she?

He's saved from her questions when they hear Albus exclaiming, "I'm _telling _you, I just saw them in her room! Kissing, of all things. Right under your noses!" He sounds frustrated, "Why would I make this shit up?" He doesn't curse, so Rose knows he's getting angry.

They take that pause in conversation to enter the room, Scorpius still supporting Rose's weight as she's slightly dizzy. The whole room stills.

"Hey," Rose says softly, at a loss as to where she should start. She's also testing the waters, waiting for reactions before she jumps into explanations.

Ron is the first to make a reaction, his eyes widening upon seeing his injured daughter. However, immediately following this, his eyes narrow when he notices her source of support. Ron throws a look to Albus, who raises his eyebrow to convey his 'I told you so'. Ron begins to walk towards him, but Hermione's hand shoots out to halt him.

She barely glances at Scorpius, gasping upon seeing Rose's forehad, "Rose, are you okay?" She rushes forward, examining the nasty bump closely, "What happened?"

Her daughters eyes stray to Albus', who glances away, "I fell."

"Oh, Rosie. You can be so clumsy," Hermione smiles fondly, then looks into her daughters eyes. Identical brown eyes bore into each other, both trying to distinguish how the other is feeling. "Are you sure you're alright, though?" Rose silently marvels at her mothers ability to dominate a scene; to control all the occupants of the room without actually saying anything. James and Lily sit at the kitchen table, presumably having been waiting for Rose. Hugo only entered the room after Rose, wearing a troubled expression. Harry is attempting to have eyes on everyone, not wanting the scene spiral out of control, but not wanting to get involved. Ginny is watching critically. Albus avoids looking at Rose entirely.

Rose meets her mothers gaze again, so full of concern and love. So uncaring as to what's going in light of her daughters injuries. Taking this all into account, she falls into her mothers waiting arms, "No, I'm not, Mum." Hermione strokes her daughters hair softly, as the girl tries not to cry.

Scorpius shifts his weight, clearly uncomfortably, "She was running downstairs, and she.. she—"

"Get out," Ron spits, taking a threatening step towards the blond. "Get the hell out of my house! You've no place being here, Malfoy."

Scorpius flinches at the way he says his last name, but doesn't retaliate. He can't for Rose's sake – but anyone else who spoke to him like that would receive the same in return.

Albus snorts, "He could have been here all night for all you know. They looked real cosy to me."

The words have an immediate effect upon Ron; the tips of his ears turn that telling shade of red, his fists clench and very slowly, that red shade spreads to cover his entire face. "In my house!" Before anyone can even begin to react, Ron strikes Scorpius so hard that the boy falls to the floor with the force of it. It's not unexpected, yet no one thought to plan for the eventuality.

Rose lurches forward when her father turns to hit him again, not intending on allowing it to happen. Meanwhile, Scorpius is biting out useless words, "I—I'm sorry, sir. I didn't .. didn't mean to disrespect.. you." The sentence is broken as he dodges Ron's oncoming attack.

Harry comes alive then, as well as Hermione, and both pull Ron away. Rose is instantly at her boyfriends side, touching his face tentatively to assess the damage. Their eyes meet, hers full of remorse. "Are you okay?"

"Rose, get off of him!" Ron snarls, fury pumping through his body. Ron needs the Malfoy kid to leave, he needs Rose to get out of his sight and he _needs _to leave this house. In his most commanding tone, he demands, "Rose, go to your room. Now. Get out of my sight!"

"Daddy, I love him." She says quietly, looking up at him from her position beside Scorpius on the ground. "Can't you forget about where he came from and look at who he is? For me?"

"Rose." He grounds out, barely keeping a lid on his anger. His tone lowers, and it scares Rose because she's never seen him like this before, "Rose, you don't know what you're talking about. You don't know what the Malfoys have put this family through – what they put your mother through." He sneers at the blond on the ground bleeding profusely, "The Malfoys are filth. They're the most prime example of a waste of sp—"

"Enough." Hermione cuts in, "Ron, you need to get out of here. Leave the poor child alone." He knows that's what he needs, and so leaves wordlessly. He doesn't – he can't – look at his daughter on the way out, but congratulates himself on somehow resisting the urge to kick Malfoy on the way out. As he's at the front door, he hears his wife's soft voice, "He's not his father, Ron. Do you know of a Draco Malfoy that would date a Weasley?" He doesn't reply, only pulls open the door and leaves.

Hermione returns to the teens in the living room. The Potters left, swearing that not a word of the fight will be repeated to anyone. Of course, James can't keep his mouth shut for anything. Couldn't keep it a secret if you paid him, so Rose isn't counting on that. Hermione comes closer to Scorpius, then without further ado, performs a nifty healing spell that has his nose sliding back into its proper place.

"Mum, thank you so much," Rose rushes out with, unable to hold it in any longer. "I swear, I love him, I really do—"

"Rose." Her mother cuts in, but it's not like the way her father said it earlier. "I can't believe you hid this from me – that you would lie to me like this. I won't lie to you, it disappoints me. But I can understand why you did it.. I mean, none of our reactions were great, were they? Scorpius, I don't believe you're your father. Or more importantly, your grandfather. I'm sorry we have such a low opinion of each other's family, really." She puts her wand away, finished with his nose.

Scorpius touches it cautiously, finding it to be perfectly healed. "Thanks. And hopefully we can change that? But thanks for not jumping to conclusions, it would be very easy to. But –" sensing a 'my dad isn't bad' speech coming on, Rose subtly shakes her head, "But nothing. Thank you for being so understanding."

Even if Ron is going to hate Scorpius forever, he'd be okay with that if _one _of Rose's parents liked him. Internally, Scorpius doesn't blame Ron for hitting him. He suspects the punch had nothing to do with the fact that he was a Malfoy, and everything to do with the fact he had been upstairs with Ron's daughter for an amount of time unknown to Ron. He would have hit him, too. Despite this, it is also clear that Ron hates him for his second name, too.

It's not fair.

Hermione, after a few minutes of observing Scorpius, replies then, "I think you're a good person. You just need to convince Rose's father." She smiles faintly.

"You—you're okay with this?" Rose asks, afraid to be too hopefully.

She chuckles, "I don't have much of a choice, do I? Don't do anything like this again, Rose. Total honesty. And you two are never allowed upstairs together, I thought you'd know that. Of course, there will be plenty of punishments once I have a talk with your father, too."

"Seems like a fair deal to me." Rose replies, hugging her mother tightly. Tears gather at the corner of her eyes with the onslaught of emotions. She doesn't know how to react to the day – her mother has really come through, but her father isn't speaking to her. How is she to reconcile those two feelings?

* * *

After Scorpius' departure, which was moments after the conversation with Hermione, Rose begs permission to visit Lily. She owes her an explanation. This leads to Rose's current situation, which is dashing through the streets near her house to get to the Potters. They don't live all that far from her, luckily.

She's worried about how Lily is going to react to this whole situation. Rose should have told her earlier, she shouldn't have kept such a pivotal secret from someone who shares everything with her. Lily's been one of Rose's closest friends for so long now – it makes no sense for her not to know. She hates this feeling of guilt that seems to be her permanent companion these days. Brooke and Lorcan knew, why didn't she tell her cousin?

Lily is definitely trustworthy, and Rose thinks she's free from the prejudice that clouds her brothers judgement.

Before she left for Lily's, Ron returned. He barely glanced at her. He sat wordlessly as she promised her mother – lying through her teeth most excellently – that Scorpius had arrived that morning, and definitely had not spent the night. It's a miracle they believed her. Ron hadn't commented. It hurts that he's so angry with her, that he can't even look at her. She refuses to even think about it because it makes her breath hitch, her heart physically hurt and an aching weariness spread throughout her body.

Rose stops at the Potters, noticing them gathered in the sitting room. The window is opened, so Rose crouches down beside it to listen. She can just about make out the conversation. "It seems like a betrayal to me, that's all. After all that family has done to us, after all the pain they've caused."

"They're dating, Ginny. Not getting married. It's not like Scorpius did anything, too.." That's her uncle Harry, which surprises her. She expected him to be one of the hardest battles. His voice isn't firm though, but rather questioning. He's not sure how he feels obviously, therefore unwilling to slate them.

"Can we just drop it?" A voice cuts in, irritation lacing their tone, "It's none of our business, really. Leave it to Ron, Hermione, Rose and the Malfoys."

This causes Rose's eyebrows to nearly touch her hairline with shock, because that voice belongs to none other than James Potter. James is defending her! Something she never thought she'd see where it concerns she and Scorpius. Perhaps she underestimated his loyalty.

"Scorpius Malfoy is actually nice," A timid voice pipes up. "He helped me with homework once, after I nearly got thrown out for huffing in frustration. He was really nice about it."

"He's obviously a well-rounded, lovely individual for giving you some pointers on your homework, Lily." Albus and his cold, smug tone makes Rose sick. Who is this person she called her best friend?

"He's a _person _Albus. Unique and different."

Ginny bristles, "I'm going to make the dinner. Harry, set the table." Rose hears them leaving, and so the three siblings are the only ones in the room.

"Don't be so naïve, Lily."

"Don't be so blind, Albus."

"Jesus, just forget it, will you?" James tells them, departing from the room.

"This is ridiculous." Lily states before she leaves, too. Rose runs around to the back of the house, situating herself directly underneath where Lily's bedroom is. Thinking back to how Scorpius got her attention last night, she scans the area for a rock, but quickly abandons this search. The large windows are open in Lily's room, so Rose paradoxically attempts to whisper loudly, "Lily!" She needs to get the girls attention, but not alert everyone else. Rose glances at Albus' room a few windows away, but his are closed. "Lily! It's Rose!"

A head peaks out of the nearest window, revealing a puzzled looking Lily. "Rose? What are you doing here?"

"Can I come up?"

The other girl nods, "Wingardium Leviosa." Once safely in the room, Lily begins to ask her if everything is okay, but Rose cuts her off by enveloping her into a hug. It's rare that Rose initiates their hugs, but today, she can't help but hold her cousin close. Even though Rose didn't tell her something she could have been trusted with, even though Lily bore her soul to Rose numerous of times, even though Rose pretended to be completely honest, Lily _still _stuck by her. There's no greater loyalty in a friend. She's beginning to think she'll be hard-pressed to find a friend better than Lily, too. (Not counting Scorpius, Lorcan and Brooke. They fall into that bracket, too.)

Tears run down her face again, appearing as if they are competing for the coveted spot along on her jawline. Lily rubs her back comfortingly, "You'll be okay, Rosie. Everything will work out for the best – you'll see. You both deserve it."

"You really approve?" Rose asks hopefully, not for the first time that day.

"Of course, I've no reason not to!" She smiles at the role reversal; usually it's Rose as the adviser, and Lily as the mess. "Everyone should be supporting you. Except Molly, maybe. Man is she going to be angry!" Lily says excitedly, not in the least worried about it.

The two girls laugh, relief sweeping through Rose. She's beginning to feel better as the day progresses, and as long as she doesn't think about her Dad, it can only get better. She moves to sit on Lily's bed as the other girl continues cleaning the place, but that mostly consists of shoving things under the rug, under the bed or into her wardrobe. Rose's eyes scan the room, thinking back to all the times she's sat here comforting Lily, and vice versa. The pale pink shade on the walls had always reminded her of the loving soul belonging to her cousin, strangely enough.

Her eyes stray to the desk, where there's a pink piece of paper and a pen beside it. Curiosity piquing, Rose leans forward to examine it but is interrupted as Lily snatches it up. The girl puts it into her drawer, then gestures for Rose to speak.

Rose nods, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before – I should have. There was no reason for me not to, but I guess I was afraid of how you'd react. I couldn't lose you. I should have known you well enough to know you'd support me.. for that I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you should have known," Lily says firmly, but then comes to sit beside Rose. "But I forgive you. You've been there for me more times than I can count." Lily's eyes are watering, too, now. Rose marvels at the saps they are, and why they're like that, for a moment. Lily interjects by saying tearfully, "You're the best cousin ever, Rose."

Rose laughs lightly, "Oh, this is getting far too sentimental, Lil. But yes, you're the best cousin, too. Don't make me cry again!" Their heart-to-heart is cut short with a knock on the door.

"Lily?" Oh god, it's her dad. Both of the girls freeze, looking to each other for what to do next. Lily jumps around as she panics, repeatedly saying 'Oh, Merlin' under her breath.

"Harry freaking Potter. Great." She glances up to the ceiling, to the muggle God, "What are you trying to do to me?"

"um, one minute, Dad!" Lily quirks a brow at her then, except she can't really pull it off, and ends up looking more surprised than inquisitive. "Who are you talking to? Look, never mind, get under my bed." She then shouts out, "One second, Dad!"

"Okay. Is everything alright?" Harry asks.

Rose rolls off the bed speedily at the sound of his voice again, "Fine, fine. If I can fit; Merlin, how much junk have you got under here, Lily?"

"Shut up, and be quiet."

"That's the same thing." Rose whispers.

Lily ignores her troublesome cousin, and yanks open the door of her bedroom. She tries to put on her best casual look, but her voice is a little to high-pitchced, "Hi, Dad. You wanted something?"

"not exactly, no. I did want to talk…" He trails off, surveying the room. Lily swallows thickly as he moves closer to the bed. His eyes return to hers, "But not with you."

"Gee, thanks, Dad," Lily jokes nervously. "Well, there's no one else here.. I'm all alone. Completely alone. No friends – or cousins, actually – in my room. Yep, just me, the walls, some junk, the floorboards. You know, the usual. So, if that's all, then you –"

"Is Rose under the bed?" Harry asks incredulously, looking at the spot where Rose is. His disbelief quickly moves to amusement, "Rose, get out from under there. Under Lily's bed is toxic wasteland."

There's a good five minutes of rustling and tugging as Rose fights to free herself and squirm out from under the bed. A disgruntled Rose eventually emerges, coughing haphazardly and thumping her chest, "Ugh, no kidding."

"This is all very funny. But how on earth did you know?" Lily asks.

"I'm an Auror, Lil. I know these things." She rolls her eyes at her Dad's pathetic attempt at being cool and enigmatic. He always does things like that, and every time she tells him it isn't the least bit cool.

Rose cuts in, "Harry, I'm not trying to be rude, but if you're going to yell at me, can I just leave instead? Can we please leave it for today? My Dad is really angry with me and I don't think I—"

"I'm not about to shout at you, Rose." She visibly deflates, surprising herself at how tense she had been in anticipating Harry's reaction. He's her favourite uncle after all, unsurprisingly given that he's her godfather. However, he seems to be finding difficulty in stringing together the right phrase, "As a kid, I hated the Malfoys. With good reason, too, he was a git. It worked both ways. I hated Slytherins in general because of it. Albus, despite being in the house, has developed the same kind of attitude." He pauses, "What I'm trying to say, and failing I know, is that I'm glad you haven't. I'm glad you can look past his second name and see his personality – it's something I wouldn't have done.

"My godfather, one of the best men I've ever known, was from a snobby, pureblood, aristocratic, prejudiced family. He was nothing like that. So who am I to then judge Scorpius?" Harry smiles, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Don't let the critics bring you down; they're really only looking out for you."

Hesitating, Harry eventually speaks again, "Albus is confused. Don't write him off, please."

Rose shakes her head, "I won't." She feels like crying again, and begs her eyes to relieve her of it this once. "Thanks, Harry. It means a lot to hear you say all this. I know what happened with the Malfoys. I mean, my own Dad—"

"Your Dad will come around, Rosie, you just have to—"

"He hates me." She blurts out, unable to stop the words. "He does. I see it in how he looks at me, at how he speaks to me."

"He's hurt," Harry says gently, his eyes soft. "He could never hate you." Turning to his own daughter, a smile blossoms across his face, "I went right somewhere along the way with you, eh? Third times a charm, I guess."

"Shut up, Dad." She laughs.

Ginny appears at the doorway, looking less than pleased. "The Malfoy kid is at the door." She stalks away, Harry running after her as he tries to speak with her.

Rose and Lily sit there for a while, then the latter starts, "Did Mum say Scorpius is here?" With that, they both bound down the stairs and out the front door, where they find him waiting. He hurries towards her as soon as she comes into view, his face automatically relaxing in the new territory. They share a quick hug, lasting no longer than several seconds given where they are.

He pulls away, a grin coming across his face, "I talked to my Dad – and I talked to your Dad, actually, and I have to tell you some—"

"You talked to _my _Dad? Are you trying to get yourself killed? .. And you told yours? Merlin, Scor, you're making this even more complicated!" Standing in the front lawn, Lily just a few steps away, Rose sends him a look of irritation and confusion.

He shakes his head, "Forget about my Dad, he's okay with it." He waves this off, about to move onto the next topic of conversation but Rose stops him.

"What?"

A beaming smile spreads across his face, "He approves! He says you're a respectable Ravenclaw and look like an intelligent girl. Of course, I told him looks can be deceiving," He winks.

Rose hits him, "Shut it, you. I'm serious! Are you lying?"

"Do I ever?" His grin is teasing her now.

"Don't pull that smile on me! It's so unfair, you're such a pampered prince. My family throws a conniption, and yours just accepts it. Surely, _surely, _it should be the other way around?"

"Oh, don't be so petulant. My Grandfather is going to have a heart-attack, maybe disown me. Just live in the moment!"

"At the moment my Dad is _infuriated _with me, my Aunt Ginny is pissed even though it's nothing to do with her and I'm not speaking to Albus. And when the _rest _of my family finds out.." She lets out a resentful chuckle, "Man, are we finished then."

"Don't be so melodramatic. They can't do anything. Besides, they'll come around. You already have half the family on your side. What about Potter?"

"Which one?"

Rose beckons Lily over, and Scorpius flashes the girl a grateful grin for obviously being on their side. "All of them."

"Albus isn't worth mentioning, while James seems neutral. Harry is with us."

"Oh, Brooke stopped over. Did you tell her?" Rose nods, recalling her tearful phonecall to her girl. "Well, she left just before you arrived earlier." Lily finishes.

"Ah. Well, now we know why James is neutral!" Scorpius lets out a long laugh.

It's Lily that gets everyone back to business, "So, what now? Are you a couple?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. I talked to your Dad! He nearly hit me again, but I got to talk to him before he did. I have to tell you before he gets here and -"

"Rose." His tone is flat, but his eyes tell a different story.

Rose hates her father's ability to apparate.

* * *

So, what do we think of that? This is the ending. There's three chapters to the ending, this one to the last one. I'm also going to put up an alternate ending for those who are not so optimistic :D This is the happier ending of the two, and to reiterate, will be three chapters long including this one.

Thanks for reading and all your reviews, please leave more :D  
CN.


	7. I Talked To Your Dad

**Chapter Seven: I talked to your Dad, go pick out a white dress. It's a love story, baby, just say yes.**

Rose freezes, stepping valiantly in front of her boyfriend. She's not letting a fight erupt again with any members of her family against Scorpius. Her heart beats rapidly within her chest. She's between a rock and a hard place. It isn't fair that she's supposed to choose between her father and boyfriend; she should have both. Other girls get to have both – so why should she be _any_ different?

Rose and her father had always been close up until her teens, when Rose started to become more involved in boys and less in chess. When Rose had started to ditch her father/daughter Sundays in favour of shopping with Brooke. When Rose had begun arguing over the sun and the moon.

Before that though, she and her father and been close. Rose and Ron had gone to Canon matches together, being the only supporters in the family, and they had gone out just the two of them every Sunday for six years, rarely missing the day. Quite often they had attended the pictures as Ron was still fascinated by the screen, whereas Rose just enjoyed it as any other muggle would. Rose had taught Ron and Hugo how to play football after being shown by a Muggle friend on her grandparents street. But then she became a teenager and things went downhill. Sunday outings became cancelled more and more until there were no Sunday outings during the breaks of school.

Stories and secrets became less told, until she and her father only spoke of common things; like the weather and subjects at school. But that happened to some parents and children when the child hits teens.

She is a teenager, she's growing up. Teenagers and parents go through rough patches every now and then, and she hopes to Merlin that this is one of them.

"Dad." Her voice is odd, and she strives to keep her next words normal, "I-I… I don't know what to say. I'm sorry for hiding our relationship, and I'm sorry for disobeying you in a way, I'm sorry I made you angry, I'm sorry I disappointed you in how I turned out -" Rose stopped herself there, knowing she was ranting. "But I'm not sorry for falling in love. Didn't you ever feel this way, Dad? Can't you even try and understand?"

Ron looks over at Scorpius for a moment before redirecting his eyes to his daughter. Sighing, he holds his arms open, "Come here, Rosie." She accepts this offer instantly, running over to him and clutching his shirt tightly. He's her Dad; the choice would be simple if he asked, "_I'm _sorry. I overreacted slightly, and I shouldn't have done the things I did. But you're my little girl, and no matter how bad the idea of you dating is, I can handle it if I can supervise in some way. But to think you were hiding and sneaking and… I'm sorry. It's harder to find your little girls grown up when you don't see the transition." He admits, looking at her with a frown. "And I will never be disappointed in your personality, or who you are. I could never, ever be disappointed in that."

"You sound like Mum," Rose smiles through her tears. Yes. There are tears again, don't judge, okay? She holds her father tighter, "Dad, are you saying that…?"

He sighs again, rather regretfully, "I'll allow you to date the Malfoy kid. Under my watch though. He'll pick you up from our house, and in Hogwarts, Neville is keeping tabs. Understood?"

She feels a burst of love so overwhelming that she laughs and cries all at once, "Thank you, Dad." She whispers. "Can I - ?"

Ron nods, pressing a tender kiss to her temple and standing back. Rose runs to Scorpius, grabbing the boys hands and jumping up and down repeatedly. He laughs at her expression; a radiant smile stretches from ear to ear, her eyes shining bright with happiness. She can't believe her luck – an amazing family, an amazing boyfriend, amazing friends. She could never have any complaints.

Rose stops jumping around, making both she and Scorpius free, "Scorpius," She says, as if stumbling onto some profound revelation, "We're not dead!"

"Would you look at that," He brings her into his arms tightly, holding here there for a minute. He tells her he loves her so quietly that no one around them can hear, but she does. Rose tilts her head up to give him a soft smile, then Scorpius tickles her to break the moment. Their laughter travels jubilantly through the air, touching upon her father.

Ron watches with a heavy heart. When did he become so old that she could fall in love? He's sure he made the right decision, though. He hates Scorpius, sure, but if he makes her daughter happiness – well, he can't deny her that. That's all a parent ever wants, after all. That's their one goal for their children; to make them happy. It's all Ron ever wanted for his Rosie, who in his mind, is still kitted out in orange, swinging her legs from the seats in the canon stands.

* * *

So, there's the second installment of the ending. I'll try and post the other one later this week, and then get onto the alternate ending. There's many things I want to touch upon in this AN in response to reviews, but I'm going to just instead say it in my replies. Thank you for your reviews, and thank you for reading. I hope you've enjoyed it! Disclaimer: HP, R&J as well as "Love Story" by Swift ain't mine.

CN.


	8. I Love You And That's All I Really Know

**Chapter Eight: I Love You And That's All I Really Know.**

Rose happily makes the trek to the Great Hall from her classes, a huge contrast to some of the darker days this year. She hums to herself serenely as she skips down the moving staircase, laughing when she nearly falls over. The past few months seem like a dream. More than once, she's woken in the morning afraid that everything was in her head. That her family hated her, or that her relationship was still a secret – or even that she and Scorpius were still apart. But reality always comes around, always welcome and proving that Rose is still sane.

School had commenced as normal come January, and Rose had been eager to return. Her Christmas break had been wonderful in the end as she was able to make time for everyone. Most of her family had accepted her relationship, whereas some didn't and she had to be okay with that. The most important people in Roses life are supportive of what she does; this is what counts, really.

Upon returning to school, she and Scorpius revelled in their newfound openness. Everything is different now, being able to act how they like. The school was buzzing with the news at first – even the papers! It's since died down. The excitement hasn't for her and Scorpius though. They exercise the ability to hold hands in public now, kiss each other when they please and proclaim their love in front of whoever may be there.

They walk to class together, something forbidden months ago. They always eat together and often leave together to get some alone time before retreating to the Room of Requirement. It's new territory for them, being so open, but it's been nothing but good for them so far.

James accepted everything with a surprising ease. Far too easily for Rose, whose suspicion rose. He quickly assured her that while he'll never be best friends with Scorpius, he's happy for her. He admitted to seeing her crying after the relationship ended, and felt awful because of it. He's happy it worked out well in the end. Of course, she suspects Brooke is something to do with it, too.

Reaching the Ravenclaw table, Rose sits down next to Scorpius, kissing him quickly on the cheek before loading her plate. "That's what you call a good morning kiss?" Scorpius feigns being affronted by her peck.

"Oh, poor baby, I forgot." Brooke leans forward jokingly, eliciting a laugh from Rose and Scorpius

After sobering up, Rose glances to the left of Brooke, "Where's Lorcan?"

The girl shrugs, "I don't know. I haven't seen him since yesterday. Why?"

"Just wondering. Being a concerned friend is all…"

Scorpius is suddenly reminded of something and points his fork at Brooke, "Didn't you talk to Potter yesterday?"

"Which one?" Rose asks, lowering the fork while quietly telling him it's rude.

Before Scorpius can answer Rose, Brooke jumps in, "James Potter asked me to the spring ball yesterday. Oh, and he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him. Properly, I mean. None of the 'lets go snog in a corner' stuff."

"He did?" Scorpius' eyebrows shoot up. He ignores his girlfriends subtle shake of the head, or how she squeezes his knee tightly. "Ow, stop that! I saw him asking Tia Lancome to the ball?"

Rose rolls her eyes, "You couldn't let me tell her that tactfully later?"

Brooke narrows her eyes, "That prat. I'm going to kill him. So I'm second choice, am I? Fine." She seethes silently as she stares intently at her cup, which means she's concocting some stupid plan. Rose would know that 'brow furrowed, eyes narrowed, mouth set' look on Brooke anywhere.

"Hey guys," Lorcan greets cheerfully, receiving various hello's in return. "Have I got news for you!"

"What is it this time?" Scorpius asks, grinning, "Did you and Brooke blow up a potions lab again?"

"That was one time!" Both protest, bringing Brooke out of her scheming. She turns to Lorcan then, "Hey, Loran. Say, do you want to go to the ball with me?"

"What? Why would I go with you?" Genuine confusion is written on his face.

"Why wouldn't you?"

Realisation sparks in his eyes as he pulled something out of his pocket, "Are you my secret admirer?" Disbelief tinges his tone, but he is also strangely hopeful. Not because he hopes it's her, but more so to do with desperately wanting to know who's behind it.

Brooke snorts, "As if. I'm not into that rhyming rubbish. If I wanted to say it, I'd say it to your face. And without all the smilie's."

"Simile's." Rose corrects.

Lorcan sighs, "I just want to know who it is now. This anonymous thing is getting kind of tiring."

Rose frowns and tries to think of who would send Lorcan a love letter, feeling like she knows something, but drawing a blank. She can't think of anyone obvious to her. She takes the letter out of his hand, recognising the paper immediately. "oh my god." That familiar cursive writing. She smiles coyly, "I knew who your admirer is!"

"What?" He leans forward in excitement, "Who is it?"

"It's a girl. That's all you need to know."

"Oh, come on, Red. Don't be like that. Scorpius, control your girlfriend there, will you?"

Scorpius snorts, "Since when have I been able to control Red?" His girlfriend hits him playfully, but laughs.

"So Lorcan, will you go to the ball with me?"

Lorcan looks at her strangely and then begins speaking. Rose smiles as she watches her friends interact and bicker, glad to have friends like them. Although none of them are perfect, they all have their good points and Rose doesn't know where she would be without them.

Glancing at Scorpius, her smile grows. She doesn't know whether they will be together forever, although she does hope for that. She doesn't even know if they'll last for another year, but at the moment, they love each other. And when it comes down to it, that's all that matters to Rose.

"Brooke, why don't you just ask him then?" Lorcan tells Brooke exasperatedly, then focusing on Rose, "Please, Red. Just give me a clue! How can you resist this face?" He points to his puppy dog eyes and wobbling lip.

"Yeah, I'm surprised she's not running away." Scorpius quips, earning him a chip to the face.

They all laugh loudly, and Rose feels more content than she ever has. Everything is just _right._

"Look, Brooke, I'm just saying if you are my admirer, I'll go to the ball with you no problem. You're obviously deeply in love with me."

"Okay, I wrote it. Great! I've a date. Now, where is James…"

* * *

A/N: So, it's been a while. Which is kind of outrageous seeing as this chapter was just sitting on my computer... I'll update either later tonight or tomorrow. The fic has unofficially been "completed", but I want to add an alternate ending.. Disclaimer: HP and "Love Story" by T-Swizzle ain't mine. Neither is Romeo or Juliet for that matter, if you were wondering. Which I bet you were.

I hope you enjoyed it, sorry for the delay! Reviews would be lovely.

CN.


	9. THE ALTERNATE ENDING

_**"One fire burns out another's burning, One pain is lessen'd by another's anguish."**_

Rose sombrely approaches her front door after her visit to the Potters, her heart is heavy and her eyes fair no better. She wants to scream at the injustice, to berate herself for being so stupid to get involved in something her family would never approve of – or to berate her parents (father) for being so damn bigoted.

It hurts her in ways more than one. Her father has always been infallible; this wonderful and kind person, with a huge heart and always with a joke at the ready. Now, Rose isn't so sure. It's almost worse that this picture of her father, of her _family_, is shattered. Deep down, she knows nothing will ever be the same again if she continues with Scorpius. Her relationship with Ron is not going to be rebuilt. Her mother isn't going to do more than tolerate Scorpius. He'll never be welcome at her Grandmother Weasley's for Sunday dinner like other partners.

As she's about to open the front door, and step into her own private nightmare, Rose hears a curious yet familiar sound from the side of the house. Moving as stealthily as possible, she creeps around to her side of the house to see what the raucous is. Fear isn't even present, for what does she have to fear now?

Her spirits are immediately brightened by the sight of her beloved, once again lobbing stones at her window. Frowning at this, she quickly comes to his side, halting his movements. She glances around, as if someone is about to jump out at them any moment, before whispering harshly, "What on earth are you doing here?"

He looks affronted for a minute, "Seeing you. I thought that should be obvious."

His tone strikes a chord within her, making her narrow her eyes, "Well, if your intention is also to see my parents, good job, Malfoy."

Rolling his eyes, "Oh, we're back to Malfoy?" Hard glares are exchanged, then Scorpius softens, making Rose feel guilty, "Why are we fighting with each other?"

"I don't know." And she truly doesn't, so she shrugs to drive this point home. He draws her close at this, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Rose's head leans snugly against his chest, the fabric of his jumper partly shielding her vision. They don't say anything for a few minutes.

Realising something, she turns her eyes to meet his, "What are you doing here?" Despite the blunt quality of the statement, her words are uttered so softly, they could never be taken offensively.

Scorpius' expression immediately changes, a sadness overcoming him that she doesn't want to know the reason for. He doesn't meet her gaze again, instead focusing on wrapping a single strand of her hair around his finger over and over again. She waits obligingly, even though her legs are becoming tired and her patience wearing thin.

"My Grandfather knows. He disowned me." He says them with a tone empty of all emotion, but she isn't so easily fooled when it comes to this Malfoy. She knows he loves his family, regardless of their many faults and mistakes. He always tells her of how ridiculous, prejudiced and snobby his Grandfather is – but also of how he spoils Scorpius, delights in tormenting Draco with him and has taught him some of the best fashion tips he knows.

She wishes it was more two-dimensional than it is. She wishes that his family could be these villains that she and Scorpius cast aside, caring for better pastures. The same can be said for her family, she realises sadly.

"I'm sorry, Scorpius." There's nothing else she can say. Truth be told, she only says those words out of obligation – she knows too well that they won't fix anything; won't even lessen the pain a little bit. In the end, she reflects with a certain clarity of mind, they'll be left with no one. Maybe a few cousins and friends here and there, but in essence, everyone else of importance will be against them.

She's absently aware of Scorpius shrugging this time, making her body jolt a little at the movement. He squeezes her tighter before raising his hand to her chin gently, forcing her to look at him. His eyes close as he slowly moves to kiss her, his lips barely touching her own. The gentle nature of the kiss takes her breath away, and tears unexpectedly spring to her eyes. She holds him tighter still, needing to be as close as possible.

Rose understands why he's here now. There's a newfound maturity between them; an agreement that doesn't need to be sealed with words and promises.

Goodbye.

* * *

A/N: Well, I bet that's not what you're expecting! And it's not what I was, either. I had a plan to take on Ron's mind as he goes to look for Rose in her room, only to find a letter of her and Scorpius' leaving everyone. However, I think this a more modern approach, if that makes any sense. I honestly don't believe that - in the way I've written this couple - either of them would run off or kill themselves. That's the difference, I guess. I think this is more realistic for this story. I still don't own HP or R&J by Shakespeare.

So, that was it, my alternate ending to the unforgivable sappy one in the previous two chapters! I hope you enjoyed it, and the story, as I loved writing it. Reviews would be great.

Thank you to all who read and reviewed throughout this fic.

**_"For never was a story of more woe,_**  
**_Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."_**

CN.


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